


Survivor

by Dreamer1701



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter Friendship, Hogwarts, Horcrux Hunting, Horcruxes, Order of the Phoenix (Harry Potter), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Post-Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Second War with Voldemort, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin Friendship, Sirius Black Free from Azkaban, Sirius Black Lives, The Deathly Hallows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:40:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 80
Words: 173,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29733330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamer1701/pseuds/Dreamer1701
Summary: What if Sirius wouldn't have died in the battle at the Ministry? Would he have survived the war and lived a nice and peaceful life with Harry and the others? Or would he have died a hero's death, protecting the people he loved most? This is my version about what would have happened. Follows the events after 'The Order Of the Phoenix'. SIRIUSxHERMIONE
Relationships: Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom/Luna Lovegood, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin, Sirius Black/Hermione Granger
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, after lots of thinking, I've decided to post my Harry Potter story here as well. I wasn't sure about it at first, so don't make me regret it! I'm still editing it since the first chapters are very old. I've started writing it in 2014. By now, it has 73 chapters, but I won't post them all immediately. The story will be finished with about 80 chapters in the end. 
> 
> The first chapters aren't that good and I know it, but I didn't want to write them again. They will also get longer with time, don't worry! As I said, I started writing this ages ago. Ever since, my style changed and I think it's better now. 
> 
> Please let me know what you think, that would be awesome! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

I couldn't believe it.

I had survived the battle at the department of mysteries. Thanks to Hermione.

When Bellatrix wanted to curse me, she had pushed me out of the way and the curse, which - thank god - hadn't been deadly, had hit her in the back. First, I was too shocked to move, but after a few seconds, I realized that I had to do something. After all, I was standing in the middle of a battle and the others needed my help. Bellatrix, who thought that she had killed Hermione, ran away, loudly crying "I KILLED THE MUDBLOOD!" and laughing madly.

Of course Harry followed her immediately and no one had been able to stop him. The ones of us who had seen him going wanted to run after them too, but the other Death Eaters stopped them by attacking even stronger than before.

I also wanted to follow my godson, but I knew that Hermione was injured very badly and needed my help. Another Death Eater, who had been standing close to Bellatrix, had seen the attack and was moving towards us. On the one hand it was because he knew me, but on the other one he wanted to kill Hermione, the muggleborn witch.

So I decided to protect Hermione. Harry and the others would never forgive me if she was killed, but surprisingly, I also wouldn't have been able to live with myself anymore. It would have been my fault if something would have happened to her. She wanted to save me by throwing herself between Bellatrix and myself. I couldn't just leave her alone now in all this chaos. Someone had to look after her.

Even now I couldn't figure out why she did it. She had put herself in danger just to save someone who had been in Azkaban most of his life. Someone they had called murderer. Traitor. Liar. Crazy. She had no real connection to me. Just Harry, whom she loved. But that was another point I wasn't sure about. Did she really love him or was he just like a brother to her?

I think the second presumption was true.

The whole year Harry had talked about a girl called Cho Chang, who was one year older than him and also playing Quidditch. He wanted her to go out with him, but she said no because her former boyfriend, Cederic Diggory, had been killed by Lord Voldemort the previous summer and she wasn't over it yet.

I decided not to focus on all those thoughts any longer and concentrated on the battle at hand. There were still a few Death Eaters who tried to attack us, but the Order was able to fight them without problems. After all, we were prepared for their attacks now,

The rest of the battle I stayed with Hermione, but when Dumbledore and the people of the Ministry arrived, they called me to come to them. First, I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to talk to the people who thought that I was a murderer, but I trusted Albus. There had to be a reason why he wanted me to go to them. And it was true. Finally, they believed that I wasn't the one who had told Voldemort the secret of the Potter's and who was responsible for their death. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, told me in front of the press that I wasn't blamed anymore and that I was free to go where I wanted again.

To say I was shocked would have been the understatement of the year. I had believed that I would die as an outcast without being able to live my life as I wanted. Now everyone kept saying that I was free. It was too good to be true and I knew that it would need more time until I could fully process the news.

I was free to do what I wanted again. I could go out without fearing that someone would recognize me. I could be with Harry, the only part of my family that was left. Or I could visit Remus openly. Fight in the war against Voldemort and his Death Eaters together with all my friends was also possible now. I'd always hated not being able to do anything. That's also why I accompanied the others to the Ministry. Maybe I could also find someone to love. Start a family. Live a happy life.

If we would win and I would survive the war. The chances for that to happen weren't very high, but how can you live a life without hope?

* * *

After talking to the Minister and other members of the Ministry of Magic, I accompanied Dumbledore and Harry to Hogwarts. The others were already gone because many of the students, like Hermione, Neville and Ron had been injured. They were already in the hospital wing of the castle and Madam Pomfrey was taking care of them, so we didn't have to worry. They would all be fine again soon.

In Professor Dumbledore's office, he told us about the prophecy which made Voldemort attack Lily and James Potter so many years ago. When he found out that Neville could also have been in his place, Harry was shocked. I couldn't believe it either, but after Harry and I listened to the prophecy of Professor Trelawney, we couldn't doubt it anymore.

Harry was the chosen one because Lord Voldemort had decided to attack him and not Neville. He chose the half-blood wizard because he was more like him and that was something he never liked. He hated muggles and the fact that his father wasn't able to perform magic.

After having talked about the events of the previous night, we changed the topic. Dumbledore wanted Harry to go to the Dursley's in the summer again. Both of us protested very loudly, but he didn't want to hear anything about Harry living with me. He said that it was necessary and that no one could change his decision. But he would just have to stay there for a few weeks and then he could go to Grimmauld Place or the Burrow for the rest of his holidays.

In the end, Harry and I had to agree and Dumbledore smiled satisfied. There was a reason why he wanted Harry to go back to that horrible place, I just knew it. However, I didn't ask in that moment. I knew that I wouldn't get an answer anyway.

After the conversation, Harry and I decided to go to the hospital wing to look for our friends.

_Then I'm going to see Hermione again..._ I thought and a little smile spread on my lips. I didn't know why I had to smile when I thought of her. Maybe just because she was such a beautiful and intelligent young witch and I was glad that she'd be alright. 

The fact that I was so shocked and worried when she shoved me away during the battle confused me. I really had to see if she was alright. Nearly all of my thoughts were circling around that girl. It was something which had never happened to me before. Most probably, it was just because she was Harry's best friend and I also liked her.

_What is she doing to me?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The castle was waking up. The sun rose slowly and the students were leaving their common rooms to go to the great hall, where they could get their breakfast. It was a strange feeling to walk through these corridors again. It had been nearly 20 years since I left Hogwarts together with my friends and in all those years, I hadn't seen the school again.

Being able to go where I wanted was great. Of course I knew that the students still saw me as a murderer and were afraid of me until they read the article in the Daily Prophet, but right now, that didn't bother me. The soft whispering which followed me was nothing I cared about.

My thoughts were still circling around the prophecy and the events of the previous night.

Voldemort had placed a wrong vision in Harry's mind and there was a battle in the Ministry. He thought that they had kidnapped me and he wanted to save me. But in the department of mysteries they found Death Eaters and not me. So they had to fight. Luckily we weren't too late and were able to win the fight against the servants of Lord Voldemort.

I was almost killed. Hermione saved me, but she was injured. And they didn't know which curse it was. She saved me... Saved  _me_ ...  _Why did she do it?_

Harry followed Bellatrix and wanted to kill her, but Voldemort showed up and nearly killed him. Thanks to Albus, my godson was still alive and Voldemort had to disappear quickly. But the Minister of Magic and many others had seen him.

And suddenly, they believed every word Harry and Dumbledore said. And I was free.

* * *

The hospital wing was silent. Madam Pomfrey was sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, so she could reach the people who needed help as fast as possible. When we entered, she looked up and a little smile appeared on her face. Of course she still knew me after all this time. After all, I'd been here very often.

Remus and Tonks were sitting on am empty bed next to Neville's. Remus stood up and hugged Harry and me. "How are you feeling?" he asked concerned.

"I'm fine." Harry said and went to Ron's bed. There he stood silently and watched his best friend in his sleep.

Behind his back, Remus shook his head slowly. "No, you're not." He whispered.

"Of course he's not okay, Moony." I answered. "After everything he's been through tonight, that should be clear."

He nodded and looked at Harry, still standing next to Ron who had opened his eyes slowly. "Where am I? And what happened last night? The last thing I remember is... us going to the ministry to save Sirius and Lucius Malfoy showing up and wanting the prophecy..." He looked around, a confused frown on his face and stopped when he saw me. "You're here? But..."

"I'm sure we can explain everything to you." I said quickly and smiled at him. Then I nodded at Harry. He understood and began to tell Ron what happened last night. But he left out everything about the prophecy the two of us had heard. Probably because he wanted to think or talk about it first.

While Harry was talking, I turned my attention towards Remus and Tonks again. "Nobody's in serious danger. They'll all survive it. It's nothing very bad." Tonks assured me as she saw that I was very worried. "Neville and Ron will be up in a few hours and Luna and Ginny have already left to go to breakfast."

"And Hermione...?" I asked apprehensively.

"No one knows which curse Bellatrix had used, but Poppy is confident about her being healed soon." Remus put a hand on my shoulder to calm me down. "I know you think that it's your fault, but you have to see that you would have died if she hadn't pushed you out of the way. You could have been  _dead_ by now..." Suddenly, he looked like the one who needed to be calmed down, so I shoved away his arm and hugged him tightly. 

After a few moments, I let him go and saw the tears in his eyes. Tonks had seen them too and was putting her arm around Remus. "It's all right. Don't cry, everyone's okay. We're all here, with you." At the sound of her voice, he had begun to cry harder and now the two of them were hugging each other and it seemed like no one wanted to let go.

A little smile appeared on my face and I left them alone.

* * *

Madam Pomfrey looked up when she heard my footsteps.

"It's been a long time, Sirius Black." she smiled. "I thought that I would never see you again after all this trouble you have caused a few years ago, but now you're here, standing right in front of me and you are a free man. Professor Lup- I mean Remus had to say it twice because I was so surprised. The ministry has never admitted that there was a mistake in the past."

I nodded with a grin. "That's true. And I'm really sorry for the events two years ago, I hope you know that." Then my gaze went to Hermione for a few seconds and my grin vanished immediately. "How is she?" I whispered.

"She'll be fine. I began to heal her wounds and they will be gone in a few days. Then she should wake up."

"Would it bother you if I stay here until she's awake?"

"No, it wouldn't. After all, she said your name in her sleep."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

Darkness surrounded me. Darkness and pain.

There was a constant whispering around me, but I couldn't understand what was said. I wanted to sit up, but it was impossible. My whole body was hurting and I was helpless in the dark.

And then there were the weird things I saw.

_Harry, Ron and me on our way to Hogwarts._

_Professor Umbridge standing in front of the class and telling us to pack away our wands._

_The DA lessons._

_And then Harry and the vision Voldemort had placed in his mind._

_I was at the Ministry again. We were at the Department of Mysteries and Harry was searching for Sirius, who should have been there because the Death Eaters had captured him. But he wasn't there. Just Lucius Malfoy, who wanted the prophecy we've found. Of course Harry refused to give it to him and that's why the fight had started._

_It was terrible. The screams shocked me and first, I wasn't able to move. But then the members of the Order arrived and I got a little courage. But when Bellatrix turned her attention towards Sirius, who was standing in front of that veil, I knew that something bad was going to happen. The veil looked somehow dangerous and when Bellatrix prepared to curse Sirius, I shoved him out of the way._

_Then there was pain. Very much pain and a voice - I think it was Sirius - was screaming my name._

The last thing I remembered from that moment were two strong arms lifting me up. Then there was just darkness.

But what had happened? How were the others? And most important, was Sirius all right? I wanted to help him so badly, but I didn't know if I succeeded.

Suddenly, I felt afraid. I wanted to scream at my body. Tell it that it was time to move again. I wanted to open my eyes.

But it was impossible.

* * *

After some time - I didn't know how much it was exactly - the pain lessened. And I began to hear the voices around me again. There were Remus and Tonks, Madam Pomfrey, Harry and... _Sirius_!

So he was alive. But why was I so happy about it? Of course we all knew that Sirius didn't expect to survive the war against Voldemort and so it was a great relief that he wasn't dead yet. And I was relieved that the others were alive as well, but why applied my first thought Sirius, Harry's godfather, who had been in Azkaban for twelve years? And why did I care about him most?

I didn't know.

* * *

Being able to move again was a big relief. I felt my legs and arms again and was able to shift in my bed. And I also felt that I was lying in a bed!  _Good to know._

And finally I was able to open my eyes.

The hospital wing was bathed in orange light, so it had to be early in the morning. First, my head was hurting a little bit and my eyes weren't as good as usual, but those feelings disappeared quickly.

I wanted to sit up and look around, but as soon as I started to move, everything began to twist and I fell back onto the pillows.

"Hey, easy over there. Don't overestimate yourself, you've been injured very badly." A familiar dark voice to my left said and my heart began to race.

Slowly, I turned my head towards the handsome, dark-haired man who was sitting on the bed next to mine.

Sirius was smiling at me. I looked at him closely to make sure that he was all right. Then I smiled back shyly.

"You have to relax, you've been lying here for four days and no one knew when you would wake up. We're still trying to figure out which curse Bellatrix had used." At the last sentence, his expression became angry and he clenched his fists.

"Wait, I've been unconscious for  _four days_ ?" I was stunned. 

He nodded with an unhappy look on his face.

"And how long have you been waiting for me to wake up?"

"I've been here for four days now." Sirius said softly.

"Why?" I asked in surprise.

"I wanted to make sure that you're fine. After all, you wanted to save me. And I want to thank you for that, it was very brave of you. You didn't have to risk your life for me." He smiled again and I didn't know why, but I smiled back immediately. There was something about this man which made me smile every time I saw him. It was... magic. My heart was still beating very fast and it wasn't going to stop doing it.  _Not as long as he's around...._

"That's... very nice of you, Sirius." I stuttered and blushed. "And the others...?"

"Were here as often as they could. They are really concerned because you were the only one who didn't wake up the day after the fight."

"Some of the others were here too?" I asked in concern.

"Yeah, Ron and Neville, the others were allowed to go back to their dormitories after Madam Pomfrey had checked if they were all right."

"Can you tell me what happened after I passed out?" Even though I knew that the story wouldn't be nice, I wanted to hear it.

Sirius looked at me anxiously. "Do you really think that you can manage it right now? Or should I get Poppy to check if you -"

"No I can deal with it, I promise." I said quickly. Of course Madam Pomfrey would want me to sleep again and that was the last thing I needed right now.

A smile appeared on Sirius' face, which made him look even more beautiful.  Wait, why was I thinking this? He was Harry's godfather! And much older than me as well.

"Okay, then here we go, Hermione. When Bellatrix hit you with the curse, she thought that she'd killed you. She screamed that she had killed the mudblood and Harry ran after her while she wanted to disappear. He wanted to kill her, but Voldemort appeared at the Ministry to kill Harry. Before he could do it, Dumbledore arrived and fought against him. When Voldemort realized that his enemy was too strong, he took control over Harry's mind. That didn't last for a long time because it was too painful and so he left the body of my godson and at the same time, the Minister of Magic and many Aurors and other wizards and witches arrived.

Voldemort fled and Fudge saw that he'd made a big mistake by not believing Harry and Dumbledore. Now everyone knows that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, as they call him, is back and Dumbledore and Harry are heroes again. And when he saw me, he finally admitted that the Ministry had made a mistake and that Peter Pettigrew hat killed the muggles all those years ago. Now I'm a free man and I can go where I want again without being pursued."

I didn't realize that I was staring at him with my mouth open. I closed it quickly (Sirius was grinning brightly) and continued to stare at him half shocked and half delighted. So everyone was all right, even though Harry had nearly been killed. Voldemort was able to control Harry's dreams and thoughts, but that wasn't new to me. And the Ministry finally believed Dumbledore and Harry. Soon the whole wizarding world would know about Voldemort, the Death Eaters and the danger we're all in. And Sirius was free. He wouldn't have to hide again. I didn't know why, but right now that was the point which made me happy. I knew how much it had tortured him not to be able to do anything openly.

"Seems like I've missed very much." I said simply, not sure how else to react to all those news.

"It's not that bad. Believe me, the events at the Ministry weren't nice. It was horrible to see how scared most people were because they've seen Voldemort. The news that he's back have caused fear and desperation." Sirius shook his head, a tensed look on his face.

"I think you're right." I answered, nodding. "Maybe I can really be happy that I haven't been there. And how is Harry?"

"He's all right. The night has shocked and exhausted him very much, but you know Harry. He's a strong boy and he can deal with the things that happened to him." Sirius began to smile proudly.

It was clear to see that he loved Harry very much. I smiled and nodded. "You're right."

Sirius ran a hand trough his hair and looked around himself. Then he focused on me again and grinned. "But let's stop talking about the events of that night." He said. "All that counts is right now, isn't it? So how are you feeling?"

I grinned back at him. It was very difficult not to do it. Almost impossible. No, definitely impossible. "To be honest... I'm hungry." I admitted.

His grin got even brighter. "Well, then I'm sure that you want me to call Madam Pomfrey to take care of you."

_Wait, what?_


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

The last days of school were very boring. The teachers didn't want to teach then new things because the holidays were beginning soon and even if they would have tried, the students wouldn't have listened anyway.

Everyone was talking about the events at the Ministry, but of course no one of us wanted to tell them how it had been. We told them a few things, but nothing in detail, and said that everything else was reported in the Daily Prophet. When the others looked, disappointed, we just ignored it.

Harry avoided to talk about that night too. It had been very horrible to face Voldemort and he wasn't over it yet. Luckily, Sirius was still at Hogwarts. Dumbledore had allowed him to stay until the end of the year and it wasn't a surprise that he had accepted, grinning happily. He was the only person Harry wanted to talk to and they did it very often.

They never told Ron and me what they were discussing, but right now, we didn't care. We were just happy that Harry and Sirius were all right and all the others were relieved because I was alive and not damaged. Of course I was wondering what Harry and his godfather discussed and I was dying of curiosity, but I would never admit it. Ron, on the other hand, often complained that they kept secrets from us when we were alone.

The only thing I couldn't explain was that Sirius and I spent very much time together. Every second he wasn't at Harry's side, he was with me. And I really liked these moments. We were talking about many things, like my life before I knew that I was a witch, my adventures with Harry and Ron, Sirius' time at Hogwarts and what he had done before Lily and James were killed. And of course we made fun of Umbridge, spent time with my other friends and established presumptions about the future.

I liked Sirius more than I should, but I didn't care. He made me happy and I was sure that he didn't want more than a friendship. I also knew that the others were talking about us behind our backs, but as usual, I didn't care. It wasn't their business.

On our last day at Hogwarts, everyone was sad. Even though the year had been terrible because of Professor Umbridge, there had also been happy moments like the DA lessons. All members of the DA hoped that we would continue to meet during the next year, but Harry told them that it wasn't necessary anymore because Umbridge was gone and we would get a new teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts.

Harry was very unhappy. He would have to spent the first weeks of the holidays at his aunt's and uncle's house and they were always being mean to him.

But Sirius had already told me that he knew what to do about that...

* * *

Sirius

I was sitting with Harry, Ron and Hermione in the Hogwarts Express and looked at my watch.

"We'll be there in about five minutes." I told them and smiled at Hermione, who was trying to get Crookshanks into his cage which wasn't easy because he tried to escape.

"Oh no." Harry murmured darkly. "The worst part of the year is going to start."

I placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's just for a few weeks. And we'll send you many letters." I smiled encouragingly.

Hermione, who had succeeded and was now looking at Harry, smiled too. "Don't you dare to think that we have forgotten you!"

Ron nodded. "I'll send a letter to you as often as I can." He promised.

I grinned at him. "You mean as often as the size of your owl allows it."

He looked at me offended. "Don't insult my owl! After all, you were the one who gave it to me."

I tried to look sorry, but Hermione's amused face told me that I failed miserably.

Harry just wanted to say something when the train suddenly stopped. We stood up and left the Hogwarts Express with all our things. At the platform, Harry, Ron and Hermione said goodbye to many of their classmates and I looked for Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

I found them talking to Tonks, Remus and Mad-Eye Moody. "What are you three doing here?" I asked curiously.

"We wanted to have a nice little chat with Harry's aunt and uncle." Mad-Eye grinned spitefully.

"Oh that's nice, I think I'll join you." I answered and a grin appeared on my lips as well. I looked at Harry who was now standing next to me. "Don't be sad, the time will pass faster than you think. And I'll write you, I promise."

He smiled at me. "Thank you, Sirius."

"You don't have to thank me for that, you know." I winked at him.

Before he could answer, two Muggles came closer to us. The woman was very small and skinny while her husband was the exact opposite. He was tall and heavy and it seemed like he didn't have a throat at all.

"Shall we, Harry?" Mr. Weasley asked friendly and moved towards the Muggles.

"Good afternoon." He said in a friendly voice to Mr. Dursley. "You might remember me, my name's Arthur Weasley."

It was obvious that the Dursley's remembered Mr. Weasley. Their faked smiles disappeared and suddenly, they looked rather angry. Of course Harry had told me that Arthur had destroyed most of their living room two years ago, so the reaction which came from them wasn't a surprise.

"We thought we'd just have a few words with you about Harry." I said with a bright smile.

"Excuse me, and you are...?" Mr. Dursley asked in confusion.

"Oh, how rude of me. I should have introduced myself to you first. Of course. Well, my name is Sirius Black and I'm Harry's godfather." I grinned at them and held out my hand towards Vernon Dursley.

At these words, Harry's aunt and uncle paled. "You are... his god... god-  _godfather?_ " Mr. Dursley stammered. 

I nodded proudly.

"But then you are a criminal!" Mrs. Dursley whispered.

"Oh no, that was a misunderstanding." I assured them with a smile and Arthur, Remus and Tonks nodded. "I'm a free man again."

The Dursley's didn't seem to be convinced, but I didn't care in the slightest. "Well, as I said, we wanted to talk about Harry and about how you treat him when he's at your house." I knew that my smile had disappeared and that I looked angry.

Mr. Dursley took a step back. "I think it's none of your business what happens in my house -"

"I expect what you're not aware of would fill several books, Dursley." Moody growled.

"But that's not the point." Tonks interjected, whose pink hair seemed to offend Mrs. Dursley more than anything else, for she closed her eyes rather than look at her. "The point is, if we find out you've been horrible to Harry."

"And make no mistake, we'll hear about it." Lupin added kindly.

"Yes." Mr. Weasley said, "even if you won't let Harry use the fellytone -"

"Telephone" Harry whispered quickly and I smiled at him.

"Yeah" Arthur said, "if we get any hint that Harry's been mistreated in any way, you'll have us to answer to."

Mr. Dursley looked at us angrily. "Are you threatening me, sir?" He said, so loudly that passers-by turned to stare.

"Yes, we are." I answered even though I was surprised because the Muggle had understood it that fast.

"And do I look like the kind of man who can be intimidated?"

"Well..." Mad-Eye pushed his bowler back to show his magical eye. At the sight of it, Mr. Dursley took a step backwards in horror and paled even more. "Yes, I'd have to say you do, Dursley!"

I laughed silently and as I looked around, I saw the amused faces of Harry, Ron and Hermione. I winked at her and she blushed, which I thought was very cute. Then I looked at Harry seriously. "If we don't hear from you for three days in a row, we'll send someone along."

The Dursley's looked at each other in horror and my grin became even brighter. I looked at the three friends who were standing next to me. "Well, I think we'll spend the last weeks of the holidays together." I said. "Until then, I hope that you have a good time." I shook Ron's hand, who smiled at me, hugged Hermione, who whispered "I'll write you" into my ear and after that I turned to Harry. "You remember the mirror I gave you some time ago?" I asked and the expression on Harry's face told that he had forgotten it completely. "It's okay, at least I made you remember, right?" I smiled at him. "You can talk to me whenever you want." 

"Thank you Sirius." Harry whispered and hugged me tightly.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

Being able to go outside again was great. It made the first weeks of the holidays much easier because I wasn't able to see Harry, Ron and Hermione.

Ron was with his family at the Burrow, but I left them alone. The family should enjoy the time when most of them were at home. Well, Arthur, Percy (whose name was a taboo), Charlie, Bill, Fred and George had to go to work, but they (except for Percy and Charlie and Bill) were at home in the evenings. Being together as a family was a gift at these dangerous times and I, who wasn't part of it, didn't belong there.

My house was still the headquarter of the Order of the Phoenix, and so many people were coming and going at each time of the day. Remus was still undercover at the camp of the werewolves and Kingsley protected the Prime Minister of the Muggles. That was why they were rarely there. But others like Mad-Eye, Tonks, Mundungus and Snape were showing themselves many times. The presence of Severus Snape was like a torture to me. I've hated him since we met for the first time in the Hogwarts Express and that feeling strengthened within the years we knew each other. The only thing which made me tolerate him in my house was that Dumbledore trusted him. I thought that Harry's presumptions about him being a Death Eater were justified. Even though I didn't say anything and each time he was here, we glared at each other and said mean things.

Dumbledore was also there a few times, but he didn't tell the other members of the Order what he was doing when nobody was able to tell where he was. We didn't ask about it too because Dumbledore was a powerful wizard and he knew what he was doing. Remus and I had discussed it and we came to the result that it had to be something important if Dumbledore himself was dealing with it himself.

* * *

The first week of the summer holidays wasn't over when the first letter arrived at Grimmauld Place. I opened it quickly, assuming that it was from Harry, but when I saw the handwriting, I made a surprised noise. The handwriting on the paper wasn't from my godson but from Hermione Granger. She told me that she would be writing and I thought that she meant once or twice just to tell how she was and what she was doing. I hadn't expected a letter from her only a week after the school was out. I looked at it curiously.

_Dear Sirius,_

_how are you? Is everything alright at your place? I hope nobody is getting on your nerves and your mother learns how to shut her mouth._

_The first week of my holidays has been nice. Of course my parents are happy to see me and we are preparing to go to Italy for a week and a half. We want to visit Venice, Florence and Rome. I'm very excited, Italy has an unbelievably thrilling history and some famous wizards and witches were born there. But I also can't wait to see the things the Muggles have built there. It must have been very difficult to create such big buildings without magical help. I have to show you some photos when we meet again._

_The last three weeks of the holidays, I will stay at the Burrow, Mrs. Weasley has invited me to stay with them. Maybe I could visit you at Grimmauld Place? Or you could come to the Burrow too. I was told that Harry will be also there. He would be really happy to see you._

_Hermione_

I read the letter many times. First to make sure that I had understood everything right. Then to search for a second meaning behind her words. And then just to look at her handwriting which was perfect to me.

She wrote me a letter.

Hermione Granger wrote me a letter. Before my own godson wrote me one. She thought of me. She wanted to see me again. She liked me. She asked me to visit her.

I didn't know why I was so excited and had such a strange feeling in my stomach. I liked Hermione very much, that was right. She was the smartest witch I ever met and very talented. She was nice and sweet and tried to help everyone, which was an unusual character trait. And she made me laugh. And smile. And care about her. More than about anyone else.

I wanted her to be happy. I wanted to  _make_ her happy. Be the reason why she was happy. 

_Was I falling in love with Hermione Granger?_


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter that is a little longer! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

"Are you sure you've got all your things?" My mum asked in a worried voice.

I nodded again. "I think this was the seventh time you've asked and I still have everything I need for school in my trunk."

She smiled softly. "All right then, I think it's time for you to go."

I knew that she was upset. Before I could say something to comfort her, my dad entered the living room. He didn't try to look happy. I saw immediately that he was unhappy and that the thought of me going to Hogwarts again, even though Voldemort was back, was unpleasant to him. They would have both liked me to stay, but I couldn't do that.

"You don't have to be upset, you know that, right?" I asked and smiled at them.

"But when you say that...  _he_ is back, then you are in danger or am I wrong?" Dad raised his eyebrows at me and my mother quit her attempt to look happy. 

"Well, we are all in danger, I've told you that he's very powerful, but at Hogwarts, nothing's going to harm me. Dumbledore will be there and he's the only one You-Know-Who has ever feared. So please don't worry about me. I'll write you as many letters as I can, I promise."

After a few moments of silence, my parents nodded slowly. I knew that they didn't understand why I wanted to go back so badly and I didn't expect them to. It was my world, not theirs. "But take care of yourself." My mum begged.

"I promise." I whispered before I hugged both of my parents. Then suddenly, the fire in our fireplace turned green and I knew that it was the moment to go. The Ministry had accepted Mr. Weasley's inquiry to connect our house with the floo network so I could reach the Burrow quickly and without trouble. But the connection would only last a few minutes, so I had to go now or I would have to find another way to get to the Weasley's.

"I love you." I told my parents with a smile and took a step into the fireplace.

* * *

When I arrived in the kitchen of the Burrow, many people were waiting for me. Mrs. Weasley was making dinner while Ginny, Ron and Bill were sitting at the table and looked at something I couldn't see. But none of those things mattered to me when I saw who else was in the room.

Sirius looked better than a few weeks ago. He wore black jeans with a dark blue shirt and a black jacket. All of these things seemed to be new and his hair was cut so that it only touched his shoulders. And there was something else different about him. He looked much happier than before. He was also the first one in the room to notice my arrival and when he looked at me, his face lit up. His smile turned into a bright grin which made me blush and I grinned back immediately.

To my surprise, the answer to my letter had arrived very quickly and Sirius had been very happy about it. His letters were always very long and he told me what was going on in the headquarter and how Buckbeak (who was now at Hogwarts again because Sirius had asked Hagrid to take care of him) was and what he was doing. And he seemed to be very interested in the things I have done. In his letters he asked many questions about Italy and also about my family and me, which was surprising. I knew that Sirius liked me, at least we were friends, but that was pretty much to ask in letters. On the other hand, I knew that he had much free time, so why not write longer ones? 

"Hermione, there you are!" Ginny, who had seen me too, hugged me tightly and smiled. Before she could say another word, she was pushed away and I was in Ron's arms. Over his shoulder, I could see how Sirius' smile faltered - or did I just imagined it? - and I pushed Ron away quickly. "Do you want to strangle me?" I asked with a grin and patted him on the shoulder.

"Oh no, sorry, I mean, I didn't want -"

"Hey I was just joking!" I laughed. Ron, who had already turned red at my words, was looking like a tomato by now and everyone in the room began to laugh.

"Hermione, my dear, it is nice to see you. Are you all right? How were the past weeks to you and your parents?" Mrs. Weasley smiled at me and hugged me tightly.

"It's good to see you, Mrs. Weasley. I'm fine and my parents as well, the holidays have been very great." I smiled at her.

"That's great. Ron, can you take Hermione's trunk to Ginny's room, please?"

Ron made an annoyed face and disappeared on the stairs. Ginny followed him to make sure that he didn't destroy anything. On their way, I could hear Ron complaining that he had to carry my things of all people.

I turned to Sirius who was sitting on a chair out of the way of the others. I wondered if he was just here to see me or if it was a normal visit. However, he never mentioned going to the Burrow in one of his letters. He smiled widely at me and when I came closer, he stood up to hug me.

"You know that Ron and I are just friends, right?" I didn't know why I whispered those things into his ear, but I felt the urge to tell him that everything was fine and that he didn't have to be angry. At those words Sirius relaxed and his grin reappeared. However, he didn't say anything to that comment. "It's good to see you, Hermione. Everything's all right at home?"

I nodded with a smile. "Nice to see you too, Pads. And yes, my parents are fine, even though they are worried about me after the events of the beginning of the summer." When I called him Pads, a look I couldn't quite interpret appeared on his face. As far as I knew, only Remus called him that.

He raised his eyebrows. "And you are surprised about that?"

I shook my head. "No, not really. After all, we're all in danger, right?"

Sirius nodded. "True. But at Hogwarts, you're safer than anywhere else."

"That's what I've told them too. We've got Dumbledore."

He frowned and ran a hand through his hair "But he won't be there forever, right?"

My smile disappeared. Honestly, I didn't consider this before. "Don't say something like that! I mean, you're right, but I can't imagine a world without Dumbledore."

"Me neither. So let’s stop thinking about it." His smile reappeared. "Harry will be here in a few days."

"Harry will come here?" I asked with a smile.

Sirius nodded. "Dumbledore will bring him here."

"Why?"   
"Nobody knows. He didn't want to tell us. Seems like we'll have to wait until Harry arrives."

"You're staying?"

To my surprise, he nodded and I felt my smile turning into a grin. "Well, a girl like you needs worthy company, right?" He whispered with a wink.

* * *

The next days, I spent mostly in Sirius' company. Ginny and Ron also joined us on a few occasions, but they preferred being outside and playing Quidditch instead of talking so much. Even if we'd told each other many things in our letters, we could talk forever. I described Italy and showed Sirius a few pictures I'd taken with the camera of my parents. In return, he told me a few stories about Order meetings. We also exchanged stories about our times at school. I loved hearing more about the Marauders. From what Sirius said, they were even worse troublemakers than Fred and George. Sirius, on the other hand, was eager to hear more about out adventures.

A few days later, Harry arrived at the Burrow. We found out that he was there the morning after his arrival because Mrs. Weasley insisted on letting him sleep. So we entered his room (he was sleeping in Fred and George's bedroom because they were living above their shop now) early in the morning.

"We didn't know you were already here!" Ron said loudly to Harry, who was still half asleep. He wanted to wake him up, but instead of touching his shoulder, Ron hit his best friend on the top of the head.

"Ron, don't hit him!" I warned him and heard Sirius chuckle.

Harry put on his glasses and grinned when he saw us standing here. Well, he saw  _Ron_ sitting in front of him. The two of them were so close now that it was impossible for Harry to see something else than Ron's face. 

"Are you all right?"

"Never been better." Harry answered and looked around the room. When he saw Sirius and me standing behind Ron, his grin grew even wider. "What are you doing here?" He asked in surprise. I knew that the question was mostly directed at Sirius. Surely Harry had expected his godfather to be at Grimmauld Place and not here.

"We are here to see you, isn't that obvious?" Sirius asked, took two steps towards Harry and sat down on the floor next to the bed. I followed him quickly and sat down too.

"It's great that you're here, Sirius!" Harry smiled. "How's everything going at the headquarter?"

"Same as ever, many people turning up and disappearing shortly after that, Snape being rude and as dirty as usual, you know that stuff." Sirius grinned and Harry began to laugh.

"When did you get here? Mum's only just told us." Ron looked at Harry curiously.

"About one o'clock this morning."

"Where the Muggles all right? Did they treat you okay?" Sirius asked, looking at Harry very closely.

"Same as usual. They didn't talk to me much, but I like it better that way. How're you, Hermione?" Harry asked, now turning to me.

"I'm fine." I answered with a smile. "Italy is a very nice country, you know? Its history is very interesting."

"You have to tell me about it later." Harry smiled and I nodded. Even though he just pretended to be interested in magical history, Harry didn't want to hurt me. That was something I liked about him very much.

"By the way, you've missed breakfast." Ron told Harry. "Don't worry, Mum will bring you something later, she thinks you're far too thin." He rolled his eyes. "And now you have to tell us what's going on!"

"What's going on?" Harry asked in confusion. "I was at my aunt and uncle's, remember?"

"But you've been with Dumbledore!" I reminded him with a smile.

"It wasn't that exciting. He just wanted me to help him persuade this old teacher to come out of retirement. His name's Horace Slughorn."

Ron looked disappointed, but before he could say anything, I shot him a warning look. "Well, we... we thought it'd be something like that." Ron said slowly and Harry grinned. Of course he knew he was lying. Ron was a terrible liar.

"Horace Slughorn?" Sirius asked with a frown.

"You know him?" I looked at him curiously. It was possible that he knew him, at least Harry said that he was an old teacher and had left Hogwarts a long time ago.

"Yeah, he was my old Potions teacher." Sirius shrugged. "He's queer. Likes to collect trophies, the best students and the ones with good relations. He used to introduce them to famous people and after Hogwarts, many of them became very famous because of him. And as quid pro quo, he got little things from them, nothing too big, of course, just something to say thank you to an old teacher who has helped you very much."

"Potions?" Ron asked stunned. "But we need a new Defense Against The Dark Arts teacher!"

"And I think I know exactly who has got that job now." Harry said darkly. "How can Dumbledore let this happen?"

"I think Dumbledore knows what he's doing. He trusts Snape and so we should trust him too, right?" I looked at the others uncertainly.

"Trusting  _Snape_ ?" Sirius looked as if he had eaten something rotten. 

"I'd rather die!" Harry cried and Ron nodded. "He's a Death Eater!"

I shook my head slowly. They would never be able to trust him, no matter what would happen. But maybe I could try to do it...

"Slughorn likes to collect trophies?" I asked to change the topic.

Sirius nodded. "Used to be head of Slytherin and knows many important people."

Harry frowned. "Dumbledore said that he'll want to collect me too."

"Of course, at least you're the boy who lived." I smiled and looked at Sirius. "Did he want to collect you, too?"

Sirius nodded. "The only Black who wasn't a Slytherin. He always thought that it was a waste to have me in Gryffindor. After all, I was brilliant." He grinned ironically.

We all started to laugh.

* * *

When we left the room, Harry discovered that we had someone else in the house who wasn't wanted here by everyone. Of course we were all surprised when Bill turned up with Fleur Delacour and announced that they were going to be married. No one understood why he liked her, but he wouldn't change his mind. Mrs. Weasley and Ginny hated Fleur the most. Ginny began to call her phlegm and soon, everyone in the house used that name behind Fleur's, Bill's and Mrs. and Mr. Weasley's back. 

In a house full of people, it was difficult for Harry, Ron, Sirius and me to talk in private. When we finally succeeded at being in Harry's room alone, we began to talk about the lessons Dumbledore would give Harry.

"I think it must be because of the prophecy." Harry said and Ron and I stared at him. I noticed that Sirius didn't seemed so tensed and I knew that he already knew the truth about what was going to come.

"But nobody knows what it said." I said with a frown. "It got smashed."

"Although the Prophet says -" Ron began, but Harry held up a hand to stop him.

"The Prophet's got it right. The glass ball wasn't the only record. In Dumbledore's office, Sirius and I heard the whole thing. And from what it said" Harry took a deep breath, "it looks like I'm the one who's got to finish Voldemort off. At least it said neither of us could survive while the other survives."

Suddenly, I was afraid. So one of them would have to die in the end. Voldemort or Harry, one of them wouldn't survive the war. Someone took my hand and I looked up to see Sirius smiling at me reassuringly. I relaxed a little bit and smiled gratefully.

Then I turned to Harry again. "Are you scared?" I whispered.

"Not as much as I was." He admitted. "When I first heard it I was... but now, it seems as though I always knew I'd have to face him in the end."

"But you won't be alone." Sirius said. "I will help you."

"And we will be there for you, too." Ron promised. "You can't expect us to let you do all this without our help. You'd be utterly lost."

A smile appeared on Harry's face. "I love you all, you know that, right?"

Sirius nodded with a grin. "Of course, at least we're all awesome."

Laughter filled the room.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The shock about Harry being the Chosen One didn't last long, because on the same day the results of the O.W.L.s arrived. Of course Hermione had very good grades, but she was upset because she had just ten Outstandings and one Exceeds Expectations in Defense Against The Dark Arts. No one of us understood why she wasn't happy (especially Harry and Ron, who hadn't that good grades) and it took us some time to cheer her up again.

When Harry had told her and Ron about the prophecy and I had taken Hermione's hand, I feared that she wouldn't let me do it. After all, I was much older and she just liked me as a friend. But now I wasn't sure about that anymore. Friends didn't hold hands, not even when one of them was scared and didn't know what to do or say.

I also wasn't sure about my feelings for Hermione. I liked her and thought that she was very beautiful and smart and I cared for her very much. More than I cared for anyone else, including Harry. I loved making Hermione smile and laugh and joking with her was great. I wanted her to be happy. But I was far too old for her and she would never take someone like me. I had been in Azkaban for twelve years, which was nearly her whole life. I was damaged goods. She was far too good for someone like me.

* * *

A few days after the owls had arrived, we decided to go to Diagon Alley to get the things Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny needed for school. First Harry, Ron and Hermione went with Hagrid, who should take care of them, to Madam Malkin's to get new robes. In the meanwhile, I visited Fred and George's shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. It was really great and they had lots of things James and I would have needed at our time at Hogwarts, like Instant Darkness Powder and Decoy Detonators.

After some time, Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived in the shop. They didn't look very happy and it seemed as if something bad had happened.

"Hey, what's happened? You look like someone had cursed you." I looked at them curiously.

"We met Malfoy and his mother." Harry said and to me, it explained everything. I knew that they didn't like the Malfoy's and I didn't like them either, which wasn't a surprise while Lucius was a Death Eater and tried to kill my godson and his friends at the Ministry at the beginning of the summer.

"Mum, can I have a Pygmy Puff?" Ginny asked and she and Molly moved aside to look at them. Now Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were able to look out of the window and we saw Draco Malfoy walking through the street quickly, as if he didn't want to be seen.

"Wonder where his mummy is?" Harry said with a frown.

"Given her the slip by the looks of it." said Ron.

"But why?" Hermione asked.

Nobody answered her and Harry looked around to make sure that no one was paying attention to us. The he pulled his Invisibility Cloak out of his bag.

"When the four of us will use it, you can see our feet!" Hermione said immediately. "And I don't know if it's a good idea to follow him."

I smiled. "What's life without a little risk? And by the way, Mad-Eye has given me another Cloak, just in case I would be with you when you use yours. He seemed to know that one of them would be too small for four people."

Harry and Ron grinned. "That's brilliant!" Ron called out and Harry narrowed his eyes at him.

"Be quiet! Or do you want everyone in here to hear us?"

Ron made an apologetic face and nodded.

"Well, shall we go then?" I asked and the others nodded. Harry and Ron took their cloak while Hermione and I vanished under mine. We followed Draco as fast and quietly as possible and discovered that he went to Knockturn Alley. There, he entered Borgin and Burkes, a shop who was known for selling dark objects.

"If only we could hear what they're saying!" Said Hermione and I nodded.

"We can!" Ron's excited voice exclaimed under the other cloak. "I've got Extendable Ears."

"That's great." Hermione said and a Ron's hand appeared in the air. I took the Ears quickly, so nobody could see us there and then we began to listen.

* * *

We weren't able to find out what exactly Draco was doing in the shop because they talked about an object we couldn't see. But the conversation between Mr. Borgin and Draco Malfoy gave us a hint that Draco had replaced his father as a Death Eater. At least Harry thought that. Hermione didn't want to hear a word of his theory, and Ron and I thought that it was unlikely that a sixteen-year-old boy would already become a Death Eater. Nevertheless, we weren't able to convince Harry and he told the story Remus and Arthur, who didn't think that he was one of Voldemort's servants as well.

* * *

On the last day of the holidays, I told Harry, Ron and Hermione that I would be at Hogwarts sometimes since members of the Order were patrolling there.

"Why?" Hermione asked with a frown.

"Safety. Dumbledore's orders. He told us that he will leave Hogwarts sometimes and then the school isn't protected very well."

"But why will he leave the school?" Harry wanted to know.

"Do you really think that Dumbledore told us where he is going when he isn't at Hogwarts?" I shook my head. "He likes to have secrets."

"He will have his reasons for not telling you where he is going." Hermione smiled at me. "And it's great that we'll see you during the year, the time until Christmas is too long."

I smiled back, missing her smile already. "That's so true."

* * *

The next morning, the Ministry cars arrived very early. While the others were still searching for the last things they'd forgotten, Hermione and I succeeded at being alone for a few minutes.

"I will miss you." She whispered and hugged me tightly.

"I'll muss you too, Mione. But you don't have to be sad, at least I'll be at Hogwarts many times this year." I smiled and looked her in the eyes, realizing that hers were wet.

She smiled back. "You know that I like you, right?"

That question took me by surprise. "Of course I know that. And you should know that I like you too very much.” More than I should.

"You're a great man, Sirius Black." She whispered. "And I'm so glad that I've saved you. You make everything seem easier and less dark."

"I've never really thanked you for saving my life, have I?"

"You don't have to."

"What if I want to?" I raised one eyebrow.

Then I cupped her cheek with a smile and leaned in to kiss her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I know that this was really fast for them to kiss for the first time. Who knows my new stories might know that I'm terribly mean and love writing slow-burn by now. However, I really didn't want to change the whole story, so it stayed like this. I hope you don't mind.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, the chapters will get longer soon! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

Our way to Hogwarts in the Hogwarts Express wasn't very exciting. Harry was invited to meet Professor Slughorn and some other students at his compartment and Ron and I had to go through the train and keep an eye on the younger pupils.

The only strange thing was that Harry wasn't with Neville and Luna when they left the train. I thought that he was already in one of the carriages and on his way to the school and the others agreed, so we didn't search for him. In the Great Hall, we realized that Harry wasn't in the castle yet and we began to worry. Some time after the beginning of the feast he arrived, still wearing his normal clothes and being covered in blood.

I was the first of us to see him and I gasped. "Harry, what happened to you?" I shrieked.

"Why, what's wrong with me?" Harry said and sat down between Ron and me.

"You're covered in blood! Come here." I raised my wand. " _Tergeo!_ Okay, at least now the blood's gone."

"Thanks." Harry answered. "How's my face looking?"

"Normal." Ron answered anxiously. "Why shouldn't it?"

"I'll tell you later." Harry said curtly.

I nodded. Of course he didn't want to say something when Ginny, Neville, Seamus, Dean and obviously Nearly Headless Nick were listening.

"How was your time at Slughorn's compartment?" I asked to change the subject.

"Wanted to know what really happened at the Ministry." Harry said.

"Him and everyone else here." Ron rolled his eyes. "Many people were questioning us on the train, wanted to know if you really are the Chosen One."

I nodded. "I hope they'll stop that soon. If they don't shut their mouths, I'll hex them."

Harry smiled, while Ron raised his eyebrows. "You'll hex them? I bet -"

He was interrupted by Dumbledore standing up. The whole hall was quiet now and the headmaster had the full attention of all his students.

"The very best of evenings to you!" He said with a wide smile and held out his arms in an inviting gesture.

"What happened to his hand?" I frowned and looked at Harry with wide eyes.

"His hand was like that when I saw him in the holidays. Seems like it wasn't cured by now."

"But why?" Ron wanted to know. "I mean, Madam Pomfrey can do something like that with one movement of her wand, right?"

Before anyone could answer his question, Dumbledore began to talk again. All around us, others had to started whispering as well. "Nothing to worry about. Now, to our new students, welcome; and to our old ones, welcome back!"

The rest of Dumbledore's speech wasn't very exciting. Most of it was already known to me and the other students because it was told at the beginning of every year. The only other news which were terrifying to the others were that Slughorn was the new Potions master and that Snape got the job as the Professor for Defense Against The Dark Arts. But of course Harry, Ron and I weren't surprised because Sirius had told us everything about the old Potions master.

_Sirius..._

A small smile appeared on my lips and I wasn't able to make it disappear. The last time I saw Sirius was before I got in the car of the Ministry, a few minutes after he had kissed me.

_"I've never really thanked you for saving my life, have I?"_

_"You don't have to."_

_"What if I want to do it?" He raised one eyebrow._

_I was about to say something when he cupped my cheek with a smile. I wasn't able to move. What was he doing? And why was he doing it? He couldn't like me_ like that _! I was too young and too ugly and he deserved something better! He also couldn't be in love with me. After all, we just wrote each other letters and talked on a few occasions. We didn't know each other well enough by now. But even though I thought all these things, Sirius leaned in and then his lips touched mine._

_I had never thought that I would like kissing. The thought had been stupid to me because I was convinced of living my life alone, without somebody to love. And there were more important things in life than feelings. But when our lips met, all those thoughts vanished and there were just the two of us - Sirius Black and me, Hermione Granger._

_His lips were soft and at first, they barely touched mine. But as soon as he realized that I wasn't going to pull back, he came closer and really kissed me. I returned the kiss immediately and wrapped my arms around his neck. However, the kiss still only lasted for a few seconds._

_When we both drew back, we looked at each other with wide eyes. My heart was racing in my chest and I knew that my cheeks were probably completely red by now. Slowly, a smile spread on Sirius' lips and he touched my hair carefully. I returned his smile shyly._

_Of course the moment had to end some time. We heard Mrs. Weasley calling for us and we both took a step back slowly. When Sirius eyes found mine, I blushed a deep shade of red and he chuckled quietly. He touched my cheek with his hand and I closed my eyes, wanting to remember this moment forever._

_When I opened them again Sirius was smiling at me softly and I had to smile, too. "I'll miss you." I whispered and wrapped my arms around him again. This time, however, just to hug him._

_"I'll miss you, too, Hermione." Sirius whispered into my hear. "But don't be sad, we'll see each other again much sooner than you think." Then he actually winked at me!_

_I let go of his shoulders and looked him in the eyes again. "Be safe, Sirius. I can't always be there to save your life."_

_He smiled at me. "And you should look out for yourself, too. At least I need someone to keep an eye on me."_

_"Goodbye." I kissed him on the cheek._

_"Have fun at Hogwarts. And don't forget to write me!"_

_"How could I forget you?"_

_Then we left the room._


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The days after Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione had left the Burrow and I had returned to Grimmauld Place, I was happier than ever before. Even in my youth when I was together with James, Remus and Peter, I wasn't in a mood like that. I was good looking and popular, everyone liked us and our jokes, but except for my friends, I had nobody to be with. Of course most of the girls liked me and wanted to be with me. My character wasn't important for them: I was cool and that was all that was important.

Now that I had someone who liked me because of who I am, I felt like nothing could worsen my mood.

I had kissed Hermione Granger, the smart, good-looking girl who had saved my life at the Ministry. I was in love with her, I couldn't deny it. She turned my head upside down and let me forget everything else, even my twelve years in Azkaban and that was something no one else had been successful at. When I was with Harry, the time in the dark prison had moved into the back of my head, just waiting to be able to get outside again when I had nothing to think about. Worst of all were all those endless hours I had spent in my house at Grimmauld Place, being forced to hide and mostly without somebody to talk to.

But now Hermione was at Hogwarts and I couldn't see her for at least three weeks. Dumbledore had told Remus and me that he had a job for us to do. He didn't say what it would be, but before it was done, neither of us could go to the school. It also seemed to be very dangerous. Mad-Eye was asked to get us several potions and other things to see our enemies before they would see us. And we were forbidden to talk to anybody about our mission. It was secret and only four people new about it: Dumbledore, Mad-Eye, Remus and I.

The only thing we knew about the mission was that it had to do with some of the Death Eaters and a place where they were hiding. At least rumors said so. Remus and I were chosen because all the other members of the Order of the Phoenix were busy at other places.

The only thing that bothered me at the mission was that I wasn't able to contact Hermione. I wrote her one last letter, the day before we had to go, and I didn't expect an answer. It would arrive at Grimmauld Place and a member of the Order would take it and leave it there, unopened. The next time I would hear something of Hermione would be when I arrived at Hogwarts and then I would have to explain many things to her. For example, why I didn't answer her letter.

* * *

On a sunny Monday morning at the beginning of September, nearly a week after the Hogwarts Express had started its journey, Remus and I met Dumbledore at Grimmauld Place. We both wore Muggle-clothes because we had to cross a village and didn't want to get the attention of the inhabitants. It was possible and much likely that there were spies if the Death Eaters were hiding close to the small town.

Dumbledore was very punctual. He arrived exactly at eight o'clock in the morning, coming through the fireplace. We were already waiting for him and when he saw us, he smiled.

"Ah, there you are. It's good to see the two of you." He greeted us politely.

I smiled back at him. "It's good to see you, too, Albus. Would you like to take a seat?" We shook hands, Albus used his uninjured one and I frowned at the black flesh of the other hand.

"Of course." Albus shook Remus' hand and sat down on a chair on the other side of the table. "And you don't have to worry about my hand, it's nothing that can't be healed. Just a little accident."

Remus nodded, but I saw that he wasn't convinced. The doubt in his eyes was hard to miss since I knew him so well. Honestly, I was also skeptical. That didn't just look like a small accident but dark magic.

"Do you have everything for your journey?" Albus asked now, distracting us from our thoughts.

"Yes, we've packed everything we need, Mad-Eye was here yesterday and gave us the potions and the other things." Remus told him.

Dumbledore nodded contentedly. "And you know where you have to start?"

"A few miles south from a village called Crumptin, in a forest which surrounds it." Remus answered again..

"And then we will go into the village and try to find out something about strangers being seen there." I added.

Dumbledore's expression turned serious. "But you have to be careful. If the Death Eaters are there, they shouldn't see you. You have to surprise them. That's very important. If they know that you'll come, your chance of defeating them and getting away from there alive is very small. Remember to use the Invisibility Cloak and don't use the paths and roads, there they will most likely look for strangers."

Remus and I nodded.

"And question one of them if it's possible, you've got the Veritaserum Mad-Eye gave you."

We nodded again.

"Then I can't give you more advises, for I don't know what exactly will await you. All I can say now is, good luck, I think you will succeed without many problems." Albus smiled at us.

"Thank you, Albus." Remus smiled. "We'll be careful, we promise."

I grinned. "Yeah, but you've forgotten one thing. You're with me, then careful doesn't mean the same." I whispered once Albus was gone again.

* * *

Finding the hiding place of the Death Eaters wasn't very difficult. The house was standing on a little clearing four miles east from the village. It wasn't very big, built of large red stones with a black roof, and it looked like it was about a hundred years old. You could see that it was a Muggle-house since no spells were laid upon it and it started to fall into ruin slowly.

Five of Voldemort's followers hid there, but we didn't know a single one of them.

"Looks like they're new in business" I whispered and Remus nodded darkly.

"The question is if they know something."

"Honest answer? I don't think so." I muttered darkly. I already feared that this would be a waste of time.

We hid in the forest and watched them for a few days. Every day four of them disapparated and one of them stayed to guard the house. They returned before the sun began to sink and sat at a small table outside the house to discuss the events of the day. Most times, they had tortured some Muggles or Muggleborns, for they were the lowest living creatures to them. When they first mentioned the Muggleborns, I was furious. I had to use all my strength to stay where I was and be quiet because I was very close to them in the bushes.

About an hour after the sun had disappeared, they went into the house and began to sleep. Remus and I agreed that an attack in the dark wouldn't be very clever. We didn't know the house and so we could be beaten there very quickly. But after some exploring of the surroundings of the house, we knew the place very well and we prepared hiding places.

We agreed to start the attack right after the four Death Eaters came back and they sat down in front of the house. There they were vulnerable and we didn't have to enter the house. So we waited for them. Remus would give the signal to start the attack, imitating an owl and then it would all depend on how good these men were at doing magic. And if I could really identify Remus' owl cry which sounded different every time.

* * *

The beginning of our plan worked exactly like it should. The Death Eaters sat down, Remus gave the signal and each of us stunned one of them. The three others reacted faster than we expected. Two of them thew themselves to the ground while the last one ran into the old house. My curse missed him and the hope of not being forced to enter the building vanished.

Remus followed the man into the house and so the two others were left for me.

I ran to a tree which was standing close to me and hid behind it. I felt the curses flying past me and hitting the tree. I looked for the next tree, standing a few meters left to me. I began to run to it, additionally looking for the two Death Eaters. I tried to hit one of them with a curse when the ground under my feet exploded.

I hurled through the air and landed in a cloud of dust. My left shoulder felt as if somebody would have burned it and when I tried to touch it, I had something wet on my fingers. The feeling in my left arm faded and I couldn't move it as good as my right. Then the next curses began to fly above my head. I performed a shielding charm and stood up as fast as possible. Slowly, I went backwards, trying to get out of the dust which was still in the air. The pain in my arm was growing and I had to concentrate very hard to be able to ignore it.

In this moment, I was glad to be an Animagus. Even when I wasn't a dog, I could hear much better then most other humans. After a few seconds of silence, there was the sound of a breaking tree branch close to me. With my eyes still closed, I pointed my wand in the direction of the sound and performed a spell without talking. There was a cry and someone fell onto the ground. A slight smile appeared on my lips. Now there was just one of them left.

Finding the other Death Eater was more difficult because I wasn't able to hear him. It seemed like he used a spell for that and I would have to let the dust disappear. That would make me vulnerable. There was the risk that I was seen first and he would kill me without hesitation. I would have to be very fast and even the smallest mistake could be deadly. But why should I do that if there was something much easier?

Even though there was much dust in the air, I could still smell the other man. Everything I had to do was to turn into a dog. And I was right. His smell was very intensive and I was able to make out the exact direction in which I would have to go. Turning back into human form wasn't a good idea. As a dog, I had the surprise on my side and he couldn't curse me that easily.

The Death Eater was hiding behind a big oak and I attacked him from behind. First, I jumped at him to make him fall to the ground. Then I bit him into his arm and shoved his wand away. Now he was crying fearfully and I growled loudly.

Then suddenly the dust in the air disappeared. I looked up to see Remus walking towards us, the other four Death Eaters were tied up. Remus smiled at us, but when he saw the blood on my shoulder, he paled.

While he tied up the last Death Eater, I turned into human form again.

"What happened?" Remus asked anxiously.

"Nothing. He just blew up the whole ground on which I was standing."

My friend looked at the shoulder closely and pointed his wand at it. Then he whispered a spell and the pain began to vanish. "I can't heal you completely, but that should do it first."

I smiled at him. "Thank you."

"Not for that." Remus smiled again, even though he still looked a little worried.

* * *

Questioning the Death Eaters proved as an unnecessary task. They didn't know anything about Voldemort or his doings. The Dark Mark was given to them by one of his greatest followers, Bellatrix Lestrange. So my presumption that this all had been a big waste of time had been right.

After that, we contacted Mad-Eye and some other members of the Order, who took the five men to Azkaban. Someone took care of my shoulder and the wound nearly disappeared, even though it still hurt.

As far as I knew, the next thing I would do was to go to Hogwarts.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

The day after our arrival at Hogwarts, everyone wasn't that happy anymore. After breakfast, Professor McGonagall gave us our timetables. I was going to continue with Charms, Defence Against The Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Herbology, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Potions.

When I got my timetable and saw that my first subject on that day was Ancient Runes, I left the Great Hall immediately. Of course I couldn't miss the beginning of such an interesting lesson. But even though I was eager to start with the lessons, my thoughts often turned to other things. I had to think of Sirius very much and I had even dreamed of him. That was something new to me, normally all my dreams were about bad stuff like missing classes, having bad grades and people I know dying.

My second lesson that day was Defence Against The Dark Arts with Snape and it was as horrible as we thought it would be. Snape was mean to everyone in the room except for the Slytherins and while practicing non-verbal spells, he succeeded at giving Harry detention. After that lesson Harry, Ron and I were in a bad mood, but then Harry got a letter from Dumbledore in which he told him about their first private lesson. We were curious and started to speculate about the things the headmaster could teach Harry. The only thing which made us stop was Professor Slughorn.

This year, Potions was one of the subjects I hated most. First everything seemed to be all right, I was able to answer every question Slughorn asked and I earned many points for Gryffindor, but then we had to make the Draught of Living Death.

Harry seemed to follow some strange instructions which were written in the old potions book Slughorn had given him, and to everyone's surprise, his Potion was the best one in the room, even better than mine!  He won the Felix Felicis and Slughorn was beside himself. Everyone knew that he liked Harry because of his past and now he even loved him because he had  _his mother’s potion skills!_ What a stupid idea! It was known that he was bad at Potions and normally our teacher should know that, but no! He seemed to be blind. 

* * *

The following days, Harry was reading the potions book whenever he had the time to do it. I refused to talk about things he read in the book and after some time, he didn't say anything about it while I was around.

But Harry and his stupid potions book weren't the things that troubled me the most. Sirius had promised to write me letters while he was still at Grimmauld Place and first he did. After a few weeks, he stopped to answer me. I didn't understand why.

Of course I was afraid, maybe he had realized that he didn't like me and that it all was really stupid. Or he was in trouble. Maybe he was on a mission for the Order. It was possible, I knew that many of the members weren't within reach at the moment because Dumbledore gave them special jobs to do.

During the next days, my fear grew. I wanted to get a letter from Sirius and I ran to the owlery every day. No letter came. Not after a week and after two weeks there wasn't a letter either.

The only thing which distracted me by that time was Harry's first lesson with Dumbledore. Our presumptions about him teaching Harry special and very powerful spells were wrong.

"I think that it's interesting." I said one evening in the common room.

"What?" Ron asked sleepily and looked up from his essay for Defence Against The Dark Arts.

"All the things Dumbledore tells Harry about Voldemort's past. I think they are interesting." I repeated.

"Well, that's true, but how do they help me to defeat him?" Harry asked and put away his potions book. I ignored his movement and shrugged.

"If Dumbledore thinks that you have to know those things, they have to be useful in some way, right?" Ron seemed to be more awake now.

"He wants you to understand your enemy. Maybe so you can learn about his weaknesses." I assumed.

"Yeah, maybe..." Harry murmured, lost in thoughts.

* * *

A few days later, Harry began to seek people for his Quidditch Team and I went to the stadium to look at the trials. Many people were there, but most of them came because they wanted to see the  _Chosen One_ . I rolled my eyes when they giggled crazily and blushed when Harry looked at them. How could anyone be so stupid? 

After the trials, we went to the Great Hall and my thoughts returned to Sirius. I missed him very much and had written many letters to him. I didn't expect an answer anymore, for I knew that I would be even more upset when nothing came back. I even thought about asking Dumbledore if he knew anything about Sirius and his doings. In the end, I didn't know why I didn't dare to do it.

The time seemed to pass more slowly the more days I waited for him. I tried to ask the members of the Order who were at Hogwarts, though Tonks didn't know anything about Sirius and Mad-Eye, who was there once, refused to say anything to me. He only said that I shouldn't worry because everyone was all right. That was nothing to comfort me. I still didn't know where Sirius was and it felt like this uncertainty would kill me.

I couldn't eat and when I did, my stomach hurt. Paying attention to the things the teacher said was getting difficult and I was doing my homework late at night when everyone was in bed to be able to concentrate on it. When others were around, I missed him most. They were so happy and the people they liked or loved were around them. They didn't have to worry.

_It would be easier to know that he is in danger..._ I thought.  _Then I would at least know why he doesn't write me._

* * *

When the first weekend at Hogsmeade was coming, Harry and Ron insisted on going there. They were worrying about me and nothing I said made them believe that I was all right. At last I agreed to go, just to make them happy. Maybe the idea of being able to leave the castle was good for me too, because I was seeing different things and I would get some distraction.

The morning of the day at Hogsmeade was very cold and it looked like it was going to snow. In Hogsmeade, I really got some distraction. We met Mundungus, who wanted to sell old, used stuff and on our way back we heard a weird conversation between Katie Bell and her friend Leanne. It seemed like they were having an argument about something Katie was holding in her hand. 

"It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!" We heard Katie say. Suddenly, Leanne wanted to get the package Katie was holding and Katie tugged it back. The package fell to the ground and to everyone's surprise, Katie rose into the air, her arms outstretched. Her eyes were closed and her face didn't show any expression. Then Katie let out a terrible scream and we ran to her. We grabbed her legs and Katie fell to the ground. There she was lying motionless and we all stared at her in shock.

I looked around and saw the package lying on the ground, right next to a silver necklace. I stood up and wanted to pick it up when I heard an alarmed voice behind my back.

"Don't touch it! Grab it with something, but don't let it touch your skin!"

My heart seemed to stand still and I couldn't move for a moment. Then I slowly turned around and looked into a pair of gray eyes.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

Sirius looked at me apprehensively. His face was white as a sheet and it seemed to me as if he was trembling. When he saw that I was all right and hadn't touched it yet, he relaxed a little bit. But then he turned around to Katie and the tension in his body returned.

"Get back! Let me have a look at her!" He shouted and moved towards the girl who was lying on the floor.

"Something's happened to her!" Sobbed Leanne. "I don't know what -" She stopped when she saw the look on Sirius' face. Suddenly, Sirius knelt down beside Katie, took her into his arms and ran off towards the castle with her. While doing that, he looked over his shoulder to me. "Grab it with your scarf, but DON'T LET IT TOUCH YOUR SKIN!" The alarm in his voice was obvious.

I looked at the necklace again and shivered. Slowly, I grabbed my scarf and laid it on the necklace. Then I took it into my hands, hoping that the scarf and my gloves would keep it from touching my hands.

Harry and Ron looked at me with wide eyes and as soon as they realized that I was fine, we followed Sirius towards the castle.

It wasn't very difficult to catch up with Leanne. When we reached her, Ron touched her arm. "It's Leanne, isn't it?" He asked softly.

The girl nodded.

"Did it just happen all of a sudden, or...?"

"It was when she got that package!" Sobbed Leanne and pointed at my scarf.

"Now I remember it!" Harry cried. "It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago. The label said it was cursed. Katie must have touched it." He looked at Leanne. "How did Katie get hold of this?"

"We were arguing because of it. She came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it. She looked very strange when she... oh no, no, no, I bet she was under the Imperius and I didn't realize it!" She began to cry again and I wanted to hug her, but it was impossible because I couldn't do it without letting go of the necklace. So I looked at Harry sternly and he patted her on the shoulder, anxious not to touch her too much.

"And who gave it to her?" I asked Leanne.

"She wouldn't tell me."

I looked at Harry and Ron who had exchanged looks. "Malfoy knows about this necklace."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh no, not again."

"Hey, listen to me. Just listen. It was in a case at Borgin and Burkes four years ago. He looked at it and I think that this was what he was buying when we followed him! He remembered it and came back!"

"I dunno, Harry..." Ron said hesitantly. "I mean, everybody could have bought it, right?"

"And didn't Leanne say, that she came back with it from the girl's bathroom?" I added.

"But she said -"

"McGonagall!" Ron said in a warning tone and we stopped talking immediately.

"Sirius told me that you saw what happened to Katie Bell. Please follow me to my office, upstairs. Miss Granger, what are you holding?"

"The necklace she touched." I said and Professor McGonagall looked alarmed.

"Come on, quickly!"

We followed her upstairs into her office and when she wanted to close the door, someone else entered the room. I turned around to see Sirius pale face scanning me closely. When he saw that I was fine, he turned to Professor McGonagall. "Katie's in the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey can't do anything to help her. They'll take her to St. Mungo's."

"Good god." McGonagall murmured and walked towards her desk. When she saw that I still had the necklace, she stopped. "Put it on the table."

I did as I was told and everyone looked at it curiously. I felt a movement behind me and suddenly, someone was touching my hand. "Are you all right?" Sirius asked softly and I nodded. We would have to talk later. This was not the right moment.

Leanne was sent to the hospital wing as well and when she left, McGonagall turned to Harry, Ron and me again. "What happened when Katie touched the necklace?"

"She rose into the air." Harry answered before either Ron or I could speak. "And she screamed, and then collapsed."

Professor McGonagall nodded slowly. "Do you have any idea who gave that necklace to her?" She asked and Harry hesitated for a moment. I knew that he wanted to tell her about Malfoy and the things we saw at Borgin and Burkes, but after a few seconds, he shook his head. "No idea, I'm sorry Professor. She wouldn't tell Leanne." I knew that he wanted to tell us his theory first before he discussed it with anyone else.

McGonagall nodded again. "Well, then I think that you should go to your common room again. Good day to you all." She seemed stressed and glanced at the necklace again.

We left her office and went towards the Gryffindor tower slowly. On our way, Harry told Sirius what he thought about Draco Malfoy. We all listened to him silently, not wanting to interrupt him.

"But you can't be sure." Sirius said with a frown once Harry finished his theory. "Maybe he had bought something else when we saw him at Borgin and Burkes. It could have been everyone at Hogsmeade -"

"Or Hogwarts." Harry added furiously. "Why can't you just believe me?"

"I want to believe you, I think you know that. But you can't blame someone without a single proof." Sirius explained softly.

"We have enough proofs!"

"Harry, calm down, please." I whispered. "Do you want everyone to hear the things we're saying?" I touched his arm and looked into his eyes. After a few seconds, he relaxed.

"But don't believe that I will forget everything about Malfoy." He murmured darkly.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I've made a few changes in this chapter, but since you don't know how it was before, no one will notice it :D Except for the ones who might not be reading it for the first time. I just thought that everything was happening so fast between Sirius and Hermione and had to slow things down again.
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The incident with the silver necklace had shocked me. It was on the day I had returned to Hogwarts and wanted to surprise Hermione at Hogsmeade. But instead of surprising her, she scared me to death by kneeling next to the cursed necklace the other girl had touched only a few minutes before.

When I saw her kneeling down, my heart almost stopped. As soon as I saw what happened to Katie Bell, I knew that whatever she had touched was cursed. Of course at that time, I didn't know that Harry, Ron and Hermione were following the two girls. Why did those three always have to be close to dangerous situations?

Luckily, nobody else got hurt and Hermione was all right. That was the thing which was on my mind and troubling me most when I took Katie to the castle. What were they doing with the necklace? How was everyone? And most importantly  was Hermione angry because I didn't write her in all those weeks?

Of course I had to wait to get the answers to my questions. Katie and the necklace were more important than my own feelings at that moment.

After we left Professor McGonagall's office, I wanted to take Hermione with me to talk in private, but Harry told me some things about Draco Malfoy which weren't unimportant as well. I didn't know if Harry was right, but if he was, something terrible was going to happen, I knew that. To make up my mind, I would have to think about the whole story more closely. And on that evening, I didn't find the time. As soon as we reached the Gryffindor common room, I tapped Hermione on the shoulder and we left the room again. While doing that, we kept an eye on Harry and Ron. There were many people in the common room and if we were careful, they wouldn't notice that we left again. 

We headed towards the Room of Requirement, the only place we could think of. There, we were alone and no one was able to find us or enter the room. We found it as a little sitting room with a fireplace and a big red sofa right in front of it.

* * *

None of us had talked on the way to the Room of Requirement and when we sat on the sofa, I looked at Hermione closely. She was thinner than in the summer and had dark rings under her eyes. It didn't look like she had slept much lately and she had been crying, I knew that. And it was my fault.

"How are you feeling?"

She closed her eyes, "I'm fine." The lie was obvious and she took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again, there was a questioning look in them. "Where have you been? And why haven't you written any letters? I mean, you just vanished and nobody would tell me where you are -" She broke off and shook her head. “Was it a mission for the Order?”

I could see in her eyes that she was more upset than she wanted to show and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders carefully. “Yes, we weren't allowed to talk to anyone about it. I'm sorry that I didn't write you.”

"I thought you didn't want to write anymore. That you thought about the whole thing again. I mean, how could someone like you want me? I am nothing compared to you." She muttered without looking at me. I placed a hand on her cheek and forced her to look into my eyes.

"Don't say that again. You are very important to me, all right? And I wanted to tell you what I was doing so badly, please believe me. But I was out there with Remus and we didn't get a chance to tell anyone. It was very secret and important for the Order." I was speaking very fast now, fearing that she might make up her mind and run away from me. What a stupid idea.

"So you really didn't do it on purpose?" Hermione asked quietly.

"I didn't want to go. When they told me that everyone else was busy at the moment, I had no choice. Somebody had to do it. I would have written letters to you, really! Most of the time, I have been thinking about you. Sometimes, Remus even had to hit me to make me come back to reality. It was a very hard time for him." I smiled slightly and chuckled when I remembered those moments.

And when she smiled back, I knew that she believed me. I hugged her tightly and hesitated before I placed a soft kiss on her lips. "It's good to have you back, Sirius."

"It's good to be back, Mione."

"So what have you been doing?" She asked curiously. That was my girl, always wanting to know everything which was going on. So I told her about Remus' and my trip to Crumptin and the events which had taken place there. It wasn't a very long story because we had watched the Death Eaters most of the time without doing anything else, but when Hermione got to know that I got injured, her face went pale.

"Are you okay?" She shrieked and I nodded quickly.

"Of course, they fixed me and now the wound has almost vanished. It doesn't hurt anymore. I'm al lright." I smiled reassuringly and she relaxed.

"So the trip wasn't very successful."

"No. But I already feared that before we even left Grimmauld Place.” I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.

"The Death Eaters didn't know very much." She sounded unhappy now.

"That's right." I said carefully, not sure where this was heading.

"And you risked your lives for nothing." Now I understood what bothered her so much.

"I wouldn't say it like that. We captured some Death Eaters. Even if they didn't know anything important, they were dangerous. They tortured Muggles and Muggleborns and they had to be stopped."

After a few seconds, Hermione nodded. "Right."

I smiled. "Good."

We sat there in silence for some time, just enjoying each other's company. I was still surprised that this young witch could make me so happy by her mere presence. I'd never thought that I would feel something like that. But what was I feeling? Was I falling in love with Hermione Granger? To be honest, I thought so. I still wasn't sure if this was a good idea, but I couldn't help it. Everything was just so easy with her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter. Editing can be really exhausting. I can't wait to arrive at the later chapters, then I can just post them without making changes. They're also longer and written differently. As I said, the first ones were written in 2014. Today, I prefer writing much longer chapters.
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius 

The following days at Hogwarts were the happiest days of my life. I spent nearly all my time with Hermione, Harry and Ron.

Of course Hermione and I kept our relationship secret. We didn't know how Harry and Ron would react when we told them that their best friend was going out with someone much older than her. And then there was the fact that I was Harry's godfather, which made everything even worse and more difficult.

So we tried to act normal when other people were around. The only place where we didn't have to hide our relationship was the Room of Requirement. When we were there, nobody else could enter and so we had some time together - alone. We talked so much and got to know each other better with each time we were there. I realized that I was really falling for Hermione, slowly but steadily.

But we always had to keep an eye on the clock hanging on the wall each time we entered the room. Harry and Ron could notice our disappearance and then we would have to answer questions. That didn't happen until now, but he had to be careful. Those things happened mostly when no one expected them.

Even though there were these risks and we had to hide our relationship, I was the happiest man in the world. It seemed like nothing could make me feel bad and I had to smile all the time. Hermione was very happy, too, and she began to look better again. The dark rings under her eyes vanished and she earned weight again, which made her look even more beautiful.

It was delighting to see her smile and hear her laugh and Harry and Ron began to feel better too. They had been worried about her very much and not being able to cheer her up drove them crazy. At least she was their best friend and they cared about her. So they were in a bad mood very often, but when Hermione was around, they pretended to be happy.

Of course they had noticed that I was responsible for Hermione's change of feelings and I knew that they were confused because I had effected her that much. It was just a matter of time until they asked questions and I would have to answer them honestly.

If that should happen to one of us, Hermione and I agreed that we would tell them the truth, but  _together._ When one alone would tell them the whole story, misunderstandings were more likely and everything could get worse than it already was. 

But the most difficult thing was to tell any adults of our relationship. We both knew that Molly Weasley would be furious when she got to know about the two of us. She didn't like me very much because she thought that I was too reckless. In the summer, she had been nice most time, but just because there was nothing she could blame me for. The news of me going out with Hermione, a girl who was much younger than I was myself, would stop her being nice forever. She would hate me. Even though Hermione wasn't one of her children, she treated her like one of them. And Molly was very protective about her family, everyone knew that. 

Arthur would take the news of our relationship more easily, that was clear. He - and Remus, too - would just want both of us to be happy and if a relationship would fulfill that wish, everything was all right.

Hermione and I thought that most members of the Order would see it like this, except for Mrs. Weasley. And we weren't sure about Harry's and Ron's reaction.

And then there were Hermione's parents.

They were Muggles and for them, the age was very important. They even started to talk about a couple when one of them was only about five years older; ten was nearly a scandal! Maybe Hermione's parents were different, because their daughter was a witch and they were used to some weird things by now, but we couldn't be entirely sure. We had decided to tell them about the two of us at the beginning of the summer when the year at Hogwarts was over. Then we wouldn't ruin their Christmas days and we had more time to explain everything and get to know each other.

Hermione would tell them that she was invited to the Burrow for the holidays and that wasn't a lie because Molly had invited her in the summer. Her parents wouldn't be very happy about that, but of course they wouldn't say anything against the plans of her daughter. They loved and respected her, no matter what she was doing.

We had also decided to tell the others in the holidays at the Burrow, because then everyone was there and we didn't risk it being told in a wrong way.

But before we had to make this big step, there was something else we had to do. Well, something we had to go to.

Horace Slughorn organized a Christmas Party.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

The news of Katie Bell being at St. Mungo's were discussed in the whole castle for the next weeks. There were only four people who had seen what really happened - and every single one of them refused to say anything about it. Leanne was still too shocked and not able to say something. She was at the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey said that she had to stay there for a while. And of course Harry, Ron and I refused to tell anybody what happened as well.

On the one hand, we didn't want the whole castle to know about the curse and Katie's injury, and on the other hand, we didn't say anything because of Harry's theory. If Draco had to do something with it, he would be even more careful by now. But even though no one knew the details, everybody seemed to know the most important things of the accident.

The whole castle knew that Harry, Ron and me had been there, and they knew that Sirius carried Katie to the castle. And of course they knew that there was an object which was responsible for her being injured.

"He will be more careful, even though we haven't said something." I told Harry one evening in the common room. We were sitting at the fireplace, Harry in a big red armchair and Sirius and me on the sofa next to it. Luckily, no one else was in the room. Ron seemed to be with somewhere in the castle with Lavender Brown, his almost-girlfriend and the others were already sleeping.

The past weeks Ron began to talk to Lavender more often and we assumed that they were together, but we didn't say anything like that to Ron. We would have to wait until he told us the truth, because he probably thought that we would make fun of him. We all knew that he didn't like Lavender very much when we first met her. I had already said to Harry that I wouldn't mock him. You can't decide who you love, right? Sirius and I were the best example (Of course I didn't say that!). Harry had agreed and told me that he would be very happy for them. In a world like this, love was very valuable and it was one of the best weapons we had. Love was much stronger than hate and it would always beat the Dark Arts. After those words, I had been speechless for a while. Who was this man and what had he done to my best friend? I knew that Harry liked Ginny very much, but I'd never mentioned this before. Could he also be in love?

"And that is the problem." Harry answered angrily. "We have to find out what Draco is up to and to be able to do that, we have to follow him."

"How will you do that?" Sirius asked and raised en eyebrow.

"I have the Marauder's Map and the Invisibility Cloak."

"What will you do when you find him?" Sirius continued asking.

"See what he's doing and tell Dumbledore." Harry answered simply.

"And if it's nothing wrong?" I looked at Harry and raised my eyebrows too.

"That won't happen." He said stubbornly.

"But just supposing that -"

"No, Hermione. That won't happen." He interrupted me simply.

I sighed and exchanged a look with Sirius. He just shrugged, telling me that there was nothing we could do to change Harry's mind about this. Harry looked into the fire and so he didn't see the movement of his godfather and I was glad about it. I smiled at Sirius and he smiled slightly.

"Who do you want to take to Slughorn's Christmas Party?" I changed the topic and hoped that Harry wouldn't ask whom I had invited.

"I don't know." Harry answered honestly, still not looking at us. "There isn't anyone I want to invite."

"Well, you have to be careful what you drink." I said in a warning tone and he turned around to look at me. At my words, Sirius also raised his eyebrows.

"Why?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Some girls want to slip you a love potion. I thing Romilda Vane is really going to do it."

"How do you know?" Harry asked, confused.

"I heard them talking about it in the girl's bathroom. Sadly, they didn't have the potions with them, so I couldn't confiscate them." I shook my head. "This is just so stupid."

Sirius nodded. "Let me guess. Fred and George sent them to the castle, but they were disguised as something legal."

I nodded. "Part of their Owl Order Service."

"Then Filch is being fooled, isn't he? These girls are getting stuff into the school disguised as something else!" Harry was talking faster now. "So why couldn't Malfoy have brought the necklace into school -?"

"Not that again." I said immediately and rolled my eyes.

"Come on, why not?" Harry demanded.

"The detectors Filch uses can find Dark Magic and Dark objects. Normal love potions aren't dangerous or Dark magic, so they aren't found. But the necklace, which is a very strong Dark object, by the way, would have been found within seconds." Sirius explained.

"Okay, I understand it! It's not possible to smuggle the necklace into the castle. Right. I'm going to bed." With these words Harry stood up and vanished on the stairs to his dormitory.

* * *

Sirius and I decided to tell the others that we were just going as friends. It wasn't a good explanation and when we told Harry, I thought that I saw something like distrust in his eyes, but I also could have imagined it.

In the end, Harry had asked Ginny, but it wasn't easy for him to do it. She had broken up with her last boyfriend, Dean, a few weeks ago and Harry wasn't sure if she was already over him. I had assured him that she liked him very much, but Harry didn't believe me first. And then there was the fact that she was Ron's sister. First, Ron was angry when he got to know it. After all, his best friend was going out with his little sister. However, he calmed down after a while. He had decided that Harry was better than every other boy and after that, he was fine with the two of them being together.

On the evening of the Party, Sirius and I met in a lonely corridor. I wore a simple red dress with black shoes and Sirius a black dress robe, which looked very good on him. I smiled and he kissed me softly. "You look great." Sirius whispered into my ear and I chuckled.

"You look even better."

He started to grin and held out his hand. "Shall we go then, Ma'am?"

As soon as we reached a more crowded part of the castle, we stopped holding hands and just walked next to each other. The closer we came to Slughorn's office, the louder the sounds of laughter, music and conversations grew.

When we finally reached the office, I was very surprised. The room was much bigger than the ones of the other teachers and everything was decorated very beautiful. Sirius, who was standing next to me, smiled. "He always likes to have better things than all the others. That's also a reason why he organizes these dinners and parties. In that way, he hasn't changed at all."

"Oh, Sirius, my boy!" Slughorn boomed and grinned at Sirius and me. I thought that it wasn't fitting to call Sirius 'my boy' anymore. "And Mrs. Granger, it's good to see you! Come in, there are many people I'd like you to meet!"

And before we could say one more word, he had already introduced us to many of his famous guests. There was also a Vampire, Sanguini, accompanied by Eldred Worple, an author. They tried to impress Sirius by talking of a biography they wanted to write, but it seemed to me as if he wasn't really listening. Something else had caught his attention and when I followed his view, I saw Harry and Ginny standing next to Trelawney, Slughorn and Snape. What was Snape doing here? He didn't seem to be very happy about his situation and that didn't surprise me. It was well known that Snape didn't like to be at parties or similar things. The Yule Ball had also been a place where no one had expected him.

Then suddenly someone else moved towards Harry and the others. It was Filch and he was dragging Draco Malfoy into the crowd. I exchanged a look with Sirius and slowly, we began to move towards them, hoping that no one would notice us.

"Professor Slughorn," I heard Filch say "this boy tried to come to your party, even though he isn't invited."

Malfoy freed himself of Filch's grip and looked from Slughorn to Snape. "Okay, I tried to gatecrash, happy?"

"No, of course not!" Filch cried, but Slughorn interrupted him quickly.

"It's all right, Argus. It's Christmas and it's not a crime to want to come to a party. I think we should forget the punishment and just be happy and enjoy the evening."

Now Filch looked even more furious. He just wanted to say something when Snape took a step towards Draco. "I'd like to have a word with you."

"Oh, now, Severus," Said Slughorn, hiccoughing, "It's Christmas, don't be too hard -"

"He is in my House and I am the one to decide how hard you have to be. Come with me, Draco. We'll have a word outside."

They left the room and I think that Sirius, Ginny and I were the only people in the room who realized that Harry was following them.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

"So Snape was offering to help him? He was definitely  _offering_ to help  _him_ ?" Ron asked for the third time or something like that. 

"If you ask once more," said Harry, "I'm gonna stick this sprout -"

"I just want to make sure that I understood you right." Ron said quickly. The two boys were standing at the kitchen sink of the Burrow and had to peel sprouts for Mrs Weasley. Outside it was snowing and Hermione and I stood next to them. Harry had just told us what he got to know when he left Slughorn's Christmas Party and I couldn't really believe his words.

"An Unbreakable Vow?" Hermione asked and looked up from the towel which she was folding. "Are you sure?" She had an uneasy expression on her face and I wanted to hug her tightly, but of course that wasn't possible when Harry and Ron were there. We really had to tell them the truth soon.

"Yes, that's what they said. But what does it mean?" Harry looked at each one of us.

"Well, you can't break an Unbreakable Vow..." Ron began and Harry rolled his eyes. It seemed to me as if he had already figured that out.

"What happens if you break it?" My godson asked, now looking at me.

"You die." I said and Hermione nodded darkly. "I think it's very cruel." She added.

"Fred and George tried to get me to make one." Ron said and now we all stared at him. "I was five or something like that! I didn't know what it means to make such a Vow and Dad found us just before we could do it. He went mental." Ron shivered. "It was the only time I've seen him as angry as Mum."

Hermione looked at him wide-eyed. "Okay, I knew that they were insane sometimes, but I didn't believe that they would do something like  _that_ !" She murmured and shook her head angrily. 

I nodded. "Luckily Arthur could stop them."

In that moment, Fred and George entered the kitchen and we had to interrupt our conversation. They used some magic to make Harry, Ron and Hermione angry (which just worked with Harry and Ron) and then Ron tried to throw a knife at them. Of course I prevented it to hit one of the twins and everyone in the room was impressed by my fast reaction.

"I thought that something like that would happen." I simply said and then Molly came into the room.

"What's going on here?"

"Nothing." Six voices answered at the same time and Molly looked at us in surprise. "Oh, well, okay. Fred, George, I'm sorry, but Remus will arrive tonight, so Bill will have to sleep in your room, too."

"No problem." Fred answered and his mother smiled.

"Then Harry, Ron and Sirius will sleep in the attic and Hermione shares a room with Ginny and Fleur." I saw that Hermione didn't look very happy, but luckily, no one noticed that.

"I think everyone should be comfortable."

"Everyone will have a bed." George said after Mrs. Weasley left the room and we all chuckled. "And now it's time to go, Fred." He grinned at his brother.

"What are you up to?" Ron asked. "You can go wherever you want and we have to peel these stupid sprouts. And  _he_ " he pointed at me accusingly" refuses to help us!" I made an innocent face and smiled sheepishly. 

"We'll go to the village." Fred grinned. "There's a pretty girl working at the paper shop..."

"Okay, we understand." Hermione cut in and the twins left the room quickly.

"That's so unfair!" Ron muttered but I was sure that nobody except me understood what he said. After all, my ears were as good as a dog's.

* * *

After dinner, Harry, Ron, Hermione and I sat on the beds in Ron's room. Harry wanted to discuss his theory about Draco Malfoy being a Death Eater and Snape helping him with whatever he was doing again, but after some time, he gave up. Nobody seemed to believe him and in the end, he was angry and that made it very difficult to talk to him.

After a few moments of silence, in which we looked around in the room, Ron began to speak.

"So what is going on between the two of you?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked and tried not to look uncomfortable. I just raised my eyebrows at Harry and Ron, who looked at us expectantly.

"Oh come on, we're not stupid!" Ron looked from Hermione to me, and then back to her. "You've been walking around the castle alone and you exchange looks every few seconds!"

"And don't forget that you went to Slughorn's Party together. I'm sure you would have found someone else if you wanted to, Hermione." Harry added and then I noticed something in his eyes which I couldn't identify immediately. Then I realized that it was some kind of amusement. First, I had thought that Harry would be furious because I was his godfather and Hermione his best friend. But he didn't seem to hate the idea of us being together. He was happy for us.

"Don't look at us like that!" A grin appeared on Ron's face. "You should have known that your best friends realize that you're hiding something."

"But how.... I mean..." Hermione stammered and she flushed. I put my arm around her shoulders to comfort her. They knew and so we had nothing to hide anymore.

"It's all right, Mione. We wanted to tell them the truth anyway, remember?" I asked softly and looked into her eyes. Under my touch, she began to relax again and a small smile appeared on her lips.

"Come on, Hermione. Of course we noticed it when you began to behave differently. We know you for years now." Harry smiled at her, too. "And we also saw what happened to you when Sirius was on his mission. You were miserable and nothing could comfort you."

"And then Sirius came back and BAM! You were happy again and everything was all right and you two went off, alone and the only thing you talked about was Sirius." Ron grinned at us.

I raised my eyebrows, a wide smile on my face. "What did she say about me?"

"Oh well, you are -"

"You won't tell him those things!" Hermione said threateningly and now she was grinning, too.

"But if we wants to know -"

"No."

"And when -"

"I said no, Ronald."

Ron became silent immediately. He knew that Hermione didn't joke when she said something in that tone. I grinned and hugged her tightly.

"And you are okay with the two of us being together?" I asked and looked at Harry, who nodded.

"Of course. You make each other happy and we know that we can trust the two of you. I mean, you'll take care of each other and keep each other safe, and that's all that counts."

Ron nodded. "But if you hurt Hermione, you'll have a big problem, Sirius."

I nodded. "I know. And I won't hurt her, I could never do something like that. I promise." I looked at Harry and Ron who seemed to be satisfied. So I turned to look at the amazing witch next to me who smiled brightly. "You're awesome, you know that?" She asked and I smiled softly.

"No, I can't be. You are."

And then we kissed each other.

"Don't do that when we're around!"  Harry and Ron screamed and we started to laugh. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

The next days were really good. I liked being able to show that I loved Sirius when Harry and Ron were around. Of course it would have been even better if we didn't have to act at all, but for that we had to wait until Christmas Eve. Which came much faster than we liked.

Sirius, Harry, Ron and I have thought about how to tell the others very much. Harry said that the best thing we could do was to tell the others the truth, but Ron was against it. He replied that his mother would be furious, and we all agreed to that. So we had to figure out another way to tell them. In the end, we decided to do it spontaneously because we couldn't decide on how we wanted to do it.

But before we could even think about telling anyone at Christmas Eve, there was something else happening which was even more important.

* * *

We were all sitting at the table for Christmas lunch. I sat next to Sirius, who sat between me and Remus and on the opposite of the table sat Harry and Ron.

Ron was making a fool of himself since he always wanted to help Fleur. In his eagerness, he even nearly covered the whole table in gravy. It was difficult for Sirius and me not to laugh, but luckily, no one except for Harry noticed our amusement.

"You are as bad as zat Tonks." Fleur said to Ron. "She is always knocking -"

"I invited  _dear_ Tonks to come along today." Mrs Weasley cut in and glared at Fleur. "But she wouldn't come. Have you spoken to her lately, Remus?"

Remus shook his head. "No, I haven't been in contact with anybody very much. But Tonks has her family. I'm sure she will be there, won't she?"

"Hmmm. Maybe. It seemed to me that she wanted to spend Christmas alone, actually." She looked at Remus with an annoyed expression and suddenly, I had a suspicion. I would have to tell Sirius what I thought when we were alone.

"Tonks's Patronus has changed its form." Harry told Remus and I looked up from my plate. "Snape said so. I didn't know that something like that can happen. Why would your Patronus change?" He looked at Sirius and Remus questioningly and I knew that he thought the same thing as I did.

It seemed as if Sirius had no intention to answer that question. Of course he knew the right solution, but maybe he wanted to know what Remus had to say just as much as Harry and I did.

Remus took his time chewing his turkey and swallowing before saying slowly, "Sometimes... a great shock... an emotional upheaval..."

"But -" We never got to know what Harry wanted to say, because suddenly, Molly rose from her chair.

"Arthur! It's Percy!" The conversation we just had was forgotten and everyone was following Mrs. Weasley's gaze out of the kitchen window. And she was right. There was Percy Weasley, walking through the snow towards the house and he was not alone.

"Arthur, he's - he's with the Minister!" Mrs. Weasley nearly screamed and now I saw the dark clothed figure who was following Percy as well.

When the door opened and Percy and the Minister entered the room, everybody froze. It was silent and it seemed like no one wanted to say something. Finally, Rufus Scrimgeour began to speak.

"You must forgive this intrusion." He said with a small, cold smile. "Percy and I were in the vicinity - working, of course - and he couldn't resist dropping in and seeing you all!"

_Liar_ I thought. I had noticed the way Scrimgeour looked at Harry and it seemed as if he was the only person in the room who was interesting for him. I didn't like the gleam in his eyes and Sirius seemed to have noticed all of that too since he stiffened. 

"I really don't want to intrude. Maybe someone could show me your charming garden, so you would have some time to speak to Percy alone. Ah, I see that this young man has finished, why doesn't he take a stroll with me?"

The atmosphere in the room changed immediately. Suddenly, there was tension in the air and I shivered. I knew that they were here because of Harry. The Minister wanted to talk to him in private, the letters he wrote to Dumbledore were about that too. So Scrimgeour searched for a situation in which Dumbledore couldn't protect Harry from the Ministry.

"Yeah, all right." Harry said into the silence and stood up slowly. "It'll be fine." He said to Sirius and Remus who just wanted to stand up from their chairs. "Fine." Harry said again when Mr. Weasley wanted to speak. And with that he followed Rufus Scrimgeour into the garden of the Burrow.

* * *

When Harry and the Minister left, the silence didn't stop. Percy was still standing at the door and Fred, George and Ginny looked at him reproachfully.

I turned to Sirius, who was looking out of the window, but he couldn't see the two persons anymore. They had vanished in the snow which was falling faster now.

"What do you think he wants from Harry?" I whispered, even though I already knew the answer.

"Oh come on, Hermione. You are a pretty smart girl; you should already know it." Sirius said with a small grin and I had to smile back.

"We wants Harry to work for the Ministry. If he would do that, it would seem as if the Ministry had the situation under control." I voiced my thoughts.

Sirius nodded anxiously. "I don't feel good about him being out there with this...  _person._ " The last word was like a growl and I knew that Sirius was angry. Under the table, I carefully touched his hand. Right now I didn't care about the risk of this action. I just wanted to comfort him somehow. 

"He will be all right." Remus - who had listened to our conversation - said. "Scrimgeour can't hurt Harry. Not here and even if he could do it, he wouldn't. He fears Dumbledore just as much as Fudge did."

* * *

When Harry returned from his walk with the Minister, we were all sitting in the living room. No one wanted to eat anymore and so we had cleared the table.

Scrimgeour and Percy said goodbye very quickly and left the house without looking back. The Minister had looked very angry and dissatisfied and Harry wasn't very thrilled, too.

After he told us everything what was said in the garden, everyone was furious. The Ministry seemed to have its own rules and didn't care about the thoughts and feelings of others, that was obvious. Even though Umbridge had tortured Harry and no one wanted to believe him until Fudge saw Voldemort himself, the new Minister wanted him to show up at the Ministry and support their methods. Unbelievable! 

How could they even think that Harry would support them after what they did? Did they think that maybe he'd just forgotten that? Or that he'd just forgive them like this? I really couldn't believe it. Those idiots!

When the atmosphere calmed down after some time, Fred and George looked at Sirius and me curiously. "Don't you have to tell us something?"

I raised my eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, you know that there are no secrets in this house!" Fred exclaimed and everyone in the room was looking at us now.

And then the most surprisingly thing ever happened. Mrs. Weasley smiled at us and nodded encouragingly. "It's okay."

I looked at the faces of the others quickly. Harry and Ron did their best to pretend that they didn't know what we were talking about, Arthur, Remus, Bill and Fleur looked confused and Ginny, Fred, George and Molly smiled at us. Then I turned to Sirius who looked as bewildered as I felt. Then a grin appeared on his face. "All right, you're right, we should've known that we can't hide it for a long time in a house full of people."

He looked at me and I nodded with a shy smile.

"I know some of you might not appreciate it, but in the last few months, I fell in love with Hermione. Yes, I know, I'm too old, too damaged and far too careless for her. But she doesn't care about it and so I'll do my best to make her happy. No matter what happens." Then he took my hand and smiled proudly at the others. I had to smile, too. However, my mind was racing. He fell in love with me? Did that really mean that Sirius Black loved me?

"Why do you think that we would be against the two of you being together?" Remus asked and smiled at us. "That's great! In a world like this, love it the most valuable gift. You see what happens to people who can't love."

Arthur smiled as well. "It's good to see that you are happy again, Sirius. When you escaped from Azkaban and were locked up at Grimmauld Place, I was very worried about you. But now that I know that you are happy again, I can breathe much easier." And then he hugged Sirius who was staring at him in surprise.

But before Sirius could say something, Molly stood up and looked at the two of us. "I hope you treat her well, Mr. Black. She's like a daughter to me and I'm protecting my children, no matter what happens. If you hurt this girl, you're  _dead_ , do you understand me?" 

"Of course, Molly. And believe me, I could never hurt her. She's too important for that." Sirius said seriously and then Mrs Weasley's grim expression turned into a wide smile. After a few moments, Sirius grinned back at her.

"Oh my god, I'm so happy for you, do you know that?" She hugged both of us tightly and I saw that she had tears in her eyes.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The days after Christmas, everyone in the Burrow was in a good mood, but the visit of Rufus Scrimgeour had left us some things to think about.

One evening, when Harry, Ron and the twins were looking at new stuff from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, and Hermione and Ginny were in Ginny's room to talk about girl’s stuff, the adults in the house met in the living room to talk about the things the Minister had said to Harry. Of course my godson didn't tell the Weasley's, Remus and Fleur everything what was said, but that should have been obvious even before Harry entered the room again. There were many things which Harry didn't tell anyone except for Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore and me and I thought that it was better that way. 

"What is the man thinking? They can't just use Harry to get back their popularity!" Molly was very angry and first, no one tried to calm her down. We all knew that it wouldn't work. But after having talked for some minutes, Molly sat down again and looked at us thoughtfully.

"They shouldn't do that, you're right." Arthur said at last and a few others in the room nodded in agreement. "But what can we do about it?"

"Nothing." Remus murmured and hid his face in his hands. I looked at him anxiously. There was something on his mind and I knew it, but he wouldn't tell anyone what it was. I couldn't stand seeing my best friend like this and so I decided to find out what was going on later.

"And that's the point." I stated. "I think we all know that Harry would never accept the offer of the Minister, not after what happened with Umbridge. And then there were all these newspaper articles which described Harry as an insane idiot - I'm sorry for my choice of words - and that was the end of his trust in the Ministry, if there ever has been something like that, which I doubt. And when Harry doesn't believe in the methods of the Ministry, no other wizard will do it. Theoretically that's a good point, I know, but even if it is not what it was many years ago, the Ministry still helps to keep the 'peace' in the country. Meaning that Voldemort can't act openly. Which he probably never will. We should just all know that if the Ministry fails, with or without Harry, nobody will be safe anymore."

* * *

When the end of the holidays came, I wasn't very happy about it. In the Burrow, Hermione and I didn't have to hide. We could sit together whenever we wanted or hold hands without getting strange looks.

A few days after New Year, Harry, Ron, Ginny, Hermione and I stood in the kitchen to return to Hogwarts. The Ministry had arranged a one-off connection to the Floo Network to return students fast and safely to the school, which was a very good idea. Molly was the only person to say goodbye to us because the twins, Arthur, Bill and Fleur were at work. She was crying again, but after the visit of Percy that wasn't a surprise. Of course she was sad when one of her sons didn't want to be with the family and only did what the Minister said. We all tried to assure Molly that Percy was just being stupid and would come to his senses again soon, but she didn't believe us. And honestly, I also had my doubts about it.

"Promise me you'll look after yourself... stay out of trouble, Harry." Molly took him into her arms and began to cry even harder.

"I always do, Mrs Weasley," Harry said, "I like a quiet life, you know me."

A little smile appeared on Molly's face and I had to smile too.

"And you, Sirius, keep an eye on the children and don't let anything happen to them."

I nodded quickly. "Nothing will happen to them as long as I'm around."

Molly nodded slowly. "Be good, then, all of you."

And then we stepped into the fire to return to Hogwarts.

* * *

The next weeks at school weren't very exciting. All the sixth years were talking about Apparition Lessons, which seemed very cool to them. That's why I had to answer many questions. In the end, Hermione and I began to meet in the Room of Requirement very often to escape the everyday life at school.

There, we told us many things about ourselves we didn't know before. I got to know many things about the Muggle-life and Harry, Ron and Hermione's first years at Hogwarts and some of the events really astonished me. For example, the story of the troll on Halloween and everything about the Chamber of Secrets. It seemed like so much happened to them when I wasn't around that Hermione would never finish her tales.

And I told Hermione everything about my time at Hogwarts with the Marauders and our doings. And about the first Order of the Phoenix. Hermione was a very good listener. She paid attention to every detail and asked many questions to make sure that she understood me right (which she always did).

And the Room of Requirement was now the only place where we didn't have to hide our relationship. We all agreed after Christmas that it was best not to tell anyone else. We knew that there were many people who didn't accept the two of us being together. Either way it was because of the age difference or the blood status. To Purebloods, it was still repulsive that one of them could love a Muggleborn. But to me, it was the best thing that could happen. Hermione was the best thing in my whole life and I would love her forever, no matter what happened. 

However, I didn't tell her that I loved her yet. Somehow, I didn't find the right moment. 

After the first lesson in this year with Dumbledore, Harry told Ron, Hermione and me what he saw. First, it just seemed to be normal lessons, but after some time, Harry mentioned a word which was slightly known to me.

_Sir, I wondered what you know about ... about Horcruxes?_


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

"Horcruxes..." I murmured and realized that Harry, Ron and Hermione were staring at me.

"Do you know anything about them?" Harry asked with interest and I nodded slowly.

"I have heard some stories about them and they're all not very nice." I muttered darkly, trying to figure out why this had been important to a young Tom Riddle. And how did he get to know those things?

"And what are they?" Hermione asked, eager to get an answer to the question. I knew that she hated it when there was something she didn't know.

"That spell is a piece of very dark magic and it's dangerous. At least my brother, who loved Dark objects and spells and everything, said so. A Horcrux is a part of your soul, hidden in something else." I saw that Hermione, Ron and Harry shivered at the idea of that.

"What do you mean by that?" Ron asked slowly. "I mean, can they be... flowerpots or toilet seats or..."

I nodded. "That's right. Well, I don't think that Voldemort would put a part of his soul in a toilet seat, but you can't be sure, right?" They started to smile and I grinned too. It was easier to talk about things like that when the atmosphere in the room was a little warmer.

"How do you do it?" Harry wanted to know.

"Come on, Harry. You know the answer, so don't pretend to be stupid." I said and raised my eyebrows at him.

"You have to kill someone." He swallowed.

I nodded. "That was the most interesting thing for Regulus. I mean, how something like that works." I shook my head. "He was an idiot. A normal person, who can think of the consequences of his doings, would never use a spell like that."

Hermione nodded. She was very pale and because no one except for us was in the room, I took her into my arms. "This is just terrible." She whispered.

"I wonder why Voldemort asked Slughorn if he knew something about Horcruxes." Harry muttered. "I mean, he already knew what they were, right? Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked."

"Then there has to be something which wasn't in the old books." I suspected and Hermione nodded slowly.

"That's why Harry has to get that memory." She said and then we started to think of a way to get it as soon as possible.

* * *

Asking Slughorn after the Potions class wasn't a very good idea. When Harry did so, Slughorn knew immediately that Dumbledore wanted to have the true memory. He got very angry and after that, Harry didn't get a single opportunity to talk to him again.

So we had to change our strategy which wasn't easy. We had to do something unexpected. But the ideas didn't fly to us on wings.

And then there were some other things which caught our attention. Harry was observing Malfoy whenever he had the chance to do it and then he forgot everything else. He wanted to prove that Malfoy was a Death Eater and that was very important to him. I even feared that he was possessed by this idea.

I had to admit that the behavior of the boy was very strange and I began to believe Harry, but Hermione and Ron didn't want to hear a single word about it. So I didn't say anything when they were around, but once we were alone, I told Harry that I distrusted Malfoy as well. Harry was very relieved to know that someone believed his theory, but nevertheless, we weren't able to do anything about it.

The security measures of the school were increased too. More members of the Order were at Hogwarts and now we also had to watch the events at Hogsmeade. The students were angry because their trip into the village was canceled, but I was rather glad that Harry, Ron and Hermione weren't able to leave the castle. I didn't like the idea of them being in danger.

Nevertheless, the danger seemed also to be in the castle. After Ron ate some chocolate with a love potion in it on his birthday, Harry wanted to help him and they went to Professor Slughorn, who wasn't very happy to see them. He made the antidote either way, which wasn't a problem. But Harry didn't get the chance to ask about Horcruxes again since the mead of Slughorn was poisoned and the old potions master was too shocked to help Ron, who had drunk it. So Harry had to save his best friend who was brought to the hospital wing immediately.

Now we were sitting next to his bed, together with Fred, George and Ginny.

"So the poison was in the drink?" Fred asked quietly.

"Yes." Harry answered without hesitation. "Slughorn poured it out -"

"Would he have been able to slip something into Ron's glass?"

"Probably," said Harry "but why would Slughorn want to kill Ron?"

"No idea." Fred said, frowning. "Maybe he mixed up the glasses by mistake?"

"But why would Slughorn want to poison Harry?" I asked and raised my eyebrows. "You can say many things about Horace Slughorn, but not that he is a murderer." There had to be another solution to this. Poisoning drinks didn't sound like Horace at all. I knew that he could never harm anyone.

"So the poison could have been in the bottle and it was meant for Slughorn himself." Hermione, who was hiding in my arms, said.

"But who would want to kill Slughorn?" Ginny asked.

"Dumbledore reckons Voldemort wanted Slughorn on his side." Harry said. "Slughorn was hiding for a year before he came to Hogwarts. Maybe Voldemort wants him out of the way; he could think that he could be valuable for Dumbledore."

"But you said that Slughorn wanted to give the bottle to Dumbledore for Christmas." Ginny reminded him and took his hand. "So someone could want to poison Dumbledore."

"Then the poisoner doesn't know Slughorn very well." Hermione said. "It should be obvious that he keeps something like that for himself."

At that moment, our conversation was interrupted because Ron was croaking something which sounded like "Laven-oah". Everyone looked at him and we wondered why he wanted to see Lavender Brown.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little different from all the others. I hope you like it! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Severus

I was standing at a window of Hogwarts and looked at the grounds. It was very early in the morning and that's why there were no students to get on my nerves. Normally, the corridor was always crowded. Maybe because it was one of the main passages of the school and everyone had to pass it to get to most classrooms. But I didn't care. The only thing which was important to me now was the silence.

The beautiful silence which was lying on the school early in the morning. At night, you could find many students - like Harry Potter - still awake and running around in the castle, often stealing things or doing forbidden stuff. There was no opportunity to think without being disturbed.

But now I was alone.

There was mist on the grounds and it was difficult to see anything except for the forest which was as dark as always. Hagrid's house was just a tan shadow in the gray mist and the smoke of the fireplace was invisible. It faded as soon as it left the chimney and touched the mist. The only thing I could see was a soft light on something which had to be the window of the hut. So the fire was still burning, or again? But I didn't think that Hagrid was someone who stood up very early in the morning. Well, I could always be wrong, couldn't I?

At least I had been wrong so many years ago when I begged the Dark Lord to spare Lilly Potter, the women I loved. Of course he didn't follow my pleas and he killed Lily and that stupid James, and he wanted to kill Harry too, but there was something about the boy which saved him from the indescribable power of the Dark Lord. I still wasn't able to believe it. What was it that made this boy so powerful? He wasn't a Dark Wizard, everyone knew that. So why did he survive? 

I shook my head slowly. I didn't come here to think about the boy. There was something else which was more important.

Yes, I had to deal with a boy, but not with Harry Potter, that would be my task later. Unfortunately. Although my task right now wasn't very pleasant as well. After all, the boy I had to deal with now didn't want to talk to me. He ran away each time he saw me. That wasn't a problem, I was able to find him every time, but the conversations were a little... problematic.

I had to be very careful with Draco Malfoy who didn't want to accept my help at his mission. His mother was afraid because she didn't think that he could do it and so she asked me to help her son. I made the Unbreakable Vow. I had to help him, or I would die. And that wasn't good right now, after all, there were some other things I had to do. I couldn't let down the headmaster. And I couldn't let down Draco as well.

Problematic.

Suddenly, I heard a sound behind my back. I turned around slowly, just to see a big Phoenix looking at me patiently. There were a few seconds in which we just looked at each other and then I nodded. The Patronus faded as quickly as it had appeared and I began to walk through the corridor, not looking out of the window again.

* * *

When I left the castle through the portal, which was open, I turned to the right, towards the lake. There was someone standing in the mist, dressed in a gray cloak which I could barely see right now.

I stopped a few meters behind the person. "You wanted to speak to me, headmaster?" I asked loudly and Dumbledore turned around with a smile.

"Ah, Severus, I'm glad that you could come so fast. I assume that you were already awake?"

"Yes, Sir." I answered without smiling back at him. I never did that. It was just... wrong. I couldn't explain why.

"So then come on, we'll walk a bit."

We walked along the lake in silence for a few minutes.

"Did the boy accept your offer?" Albus Dumbledore asked and looked at me curiously.

I shook my head. "He is still convinced that he can do it alone. Whatever he is planning. Every time I ask, he asserts that I just want to do it myself and that I want all the attention of the Dark Lord. He's too proud to admit that he might need help."

The headmaster sighed and looked at the castle. "We both know that there will be a moment when Draco realizes that he can't fulfill his task."

At this words, I suddenly got very angry.  _Are you intending to let him kill you? Certainly not._ _**You** _ _must kill me ... The boy's soul is not yet so damaged._

We had the conversation about Draco's task a few months ago and then, Dumbledore told me that he wanted me to kill him. Of course I knew that before, at least I made the Unbreakable Vow, but the request of the headmaster had astonished me. And it made me angry. My  _soul_ should be damaged? What did that mean? I didn't ask by that time and I didn't want to ask right now. It was not important to me. I had things to do and that was everything I had to think of. After that, it would be over anyway. 

So I tried to calm down again and nodded. "And then I'll do it." I muttered and the headmaster smiled brightly.

"Exactly! You have to do it, Severus. There is no other way."

"And I will know when the right moment has come."

He nodded again. "And then you can't go back."

"I knew that the first time I came to you."

* * *

A few days later, I was walking towards the office of the headmaster again. At the lake, I had asked him about Harry Potter and I got to know many things which were difficult to believe. We talked about minds and souls, and I got to know more about the connection between the Dark Lord and Harry Potter.

I knocked at the door and after a few seconds, I heard a soft "Come in". So I entered the room. The headmaster was standing at a window and Fawkes, the Phoenix, sat there in silence.

"Please sit down, Severus." I sat down on the chair in front of the desk and Dumbledore walked around the room.

"The things I'll tell you know are very important, Severus, and nobody is permitted to know them. Even Harry must not know them until the last moment when it is completely necessary. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the strength to do what must be done."

I looked at him questioningly. "But what must he do?"

"That is something between the boy and me, Severus. Now, listen closely. There will be a time when the life of Voldemort's snake will be very important to him."

I frowned. "Nagini?" I asked and wasn't sure that I understood him right.

"Precisely. When Lord Voldemort doesn't send the snake forth do to his bidding, but keeps it safe beside him, then, I think, it will be safe to tell Harry."

"Tell him what?"

I saw Dumbledore taking a deep breath and he closed his eyes.

"On the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a part of his soul was blasted apart from the whole. It is now living inside of Harry, because he was the only living soul in the room at that time. That is why there is a connection between him and Voldemort and it's also the reason why he can speak to snakes. And while that fragment of soul remains by Harry, Lord Voldemort cannot die."

"So the boy.... he must die?" I asked calmly, but even though I could control my voice, my mind was racing. There was a part of the Dark Lord in Harry. It was the reason for their connection and it made the Dark Lord unbeatable, as long as the boy lived.

"And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus." Albus said and I turned my head to look at him, but the only thing I saw was his back.

I didn't answer for a long time. We had protected the boy, kept him alive, for Lily. And now he had to die. I wanted to scream, curse the whole world and most of all the magic. I took a deep breath. "You have kept him alive so that he can die at the right moment?"

"Don't be shocked, Severus. How many people have you watched die?"

"Lately only those whom I couldn't safe." I said angrily and stood up. "You have used me. Everything I did for you was to keep Lily Potter's son safe. Now you tell me that you have been raising him like a pig for slaughter -"

"But this is touching, Severus." Dumbledore said seriously, which made me even more angry. "Do you care for the boy, after all?"

"For  _him_ ?" I shouted as loud as I could and I felt like my heart was ripped out of my chest. " _Expecto Patronum_ !"

The silver doe burst from the tip of my wand and ran across the office before leaving it through the window. Dumbledore followed it with his eyes, and when he turned to me again, they were full of tears. Suddenly I felt that I was crying, too.

"After all this time?"

"Always." I whispered and didn't hold back my tears anymore.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one of those short chapters. But they'll get longer soon, I promise! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

The next days, Ron had to stay at the hospital wing and Harry, Sirius and I visited him every day. We were speculating about the reasons for the poisoned drink and our thoughts returned to the attack on Katie Bell. The necklace had been cursed and the meat poisoned - and both things were meant for Dumbledore. There was a connection between these two events, but it could have been many things. Of course Harry and now even Sirius were suspecting that Draco Malfoy was behind all this. I had to admit that the theory wasn't very convincing, but I was also starting to believe it.

The only thing missing was a proof. No one would believe us. Dumbledore told Harry that he shouldn't worry about Draco and his doings and he was still trusting Snape, who seemed to watch Draco closely. And so all we could do at the moment was to wait.

Well, Sirius and I were waiting, Harry had some other things on his mind. For example the Quidditch match on the weekend, for which he had to seek a new Keeper because Ron wasn't allowed to play. Harry was easy to annoy these days. He had to take McLaggen into the team and everyone knew that he was an idiot and completely arrogant. He thought that he could do everything he wanted and he didn't care about the thoughts and feelings of others.

One day he even wanted to talk to me.

I was sitting in the common room, together with Harry and Sirius. Harry was doing his homework for Defence Against the Dark Arts, which I had already finished a few days ago, and Sirius and I were talking about unimportant things. Of course we couldn't sit too close to each other or show any signs of affection. If anybody knew about us being together, many people would turn against us. At least that was what we feared. We couldn't afford causing trouble in the fight against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. That would make everything worse.

So we were just sitting there and we talked about Hagrid and his different animals (and the ones we thought of as the most disgusting). Suddenly, someone cleared his throat behind us and Sirius and I turned around, surprised expressions on our faces. Harry had also looked up from his homework and when he saw Cormac McLaggen standing in front of us, he sat up.

"Hey, what's going on?" Harry asked, presuming that he wanted to ask something about Quidditch and the match this weekend.

"I don't want to talk to you." McLaggen said and looked at me with a pretty arrogant smile, I thought. "Would you mind coming with me for a minute or two?"

Harry's offended expression turned into an angry one and I could feel Sirius stiffen next to me. I tried to look at him inconspicuously and recognized that his face was expressionless.

McLaggen didn't seem to notice the tension which was in the air and I just wanted to tell him to go away, but I knew that it would make everything worse. He would try to talk to me again and then Sirius wouldn't just sit there and stare at him.

"And what do you want?" I asked politely and tried to smile. If he wasn't clever enough to understand that something was wrong, he should believe that everything was all right.

"Could we go somewhere to be able to talk without being disturbed?" He glanced at Harry and Sirius again.

"And what do you want to tell her that it so secret that her best friends aren't allowed to know it?" Sirius raised his eyebrows and I shivered at the strange tone of his voice. It seemed as if it wasn't easy for him to stay calm.

"She will tell us what you said later, if you want it or not." Harry added and I knew that he just wanted to curse McLaggen right now. Honestly, I also felt tempted to do it.

"What do you think who you are? Can't I even ask a girl I like to go out with me without having other people around?" Now Cormac was getting angry as well and a few others were turning around to look at him now. After having noticed what he just did, McLaggen sat down in the last free armchair next to the fireplace - the one in which Ron normally was sitting. "I'm sorry." Now he was just talking to me and trying to ignore Harry and Sirius.

"So you want me to go out with you?" I asked and raised my eyebrows, pretending not to have heard his apology.

He nodded.

"Then I'm sorry to disappoint you, Cormac." I tried to smile at him, but it felt like I was making a grimace. "Honestly, you're a nice guy, but you're not my type. You should know that I don't make much of boys and relationships and that stuff. I'm happy when I'm with books and there's not much more space for a date or something like that. I'm sorry." I felt Sirius' amused gaze on me, but didn't turn to face him. I kept focused on McLaggen and hoped that I would manage to stay serious until he was gone.

The smile in McLaggen's face was vanishing slowly. It wasn't a surprise that he wasn't used to be turned down. After all, he thought that the whole world was turning around him. "Okay." He said after a few moments of silence. "If that's what you think, then I hope you'll have a happy life, Granger. Alone." I had to hide my amusement at the sudden change of tone. Now his voice was cold and rejecting and he stood up and left the common room quickly - without looking back. 

When he was gone, Harry, Sirius and I started to laugh. I felt Sirius squeezing my hand unobtrusively and I smiled at him. I wanted to kiss him so badly, but of course I wasn't able to do it. There were many people in the room and no one should know about the two of us.

There was an amused gleam in Sirius' eyes. "So you don't make much of boys and relationships?"

I laughed. "If you go to the Room of Requirement with me later, I'll show you what I think of those things." In this moment, I really wanted to tell him that I loved him. However, I still wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. Could he really love me as well?

Now Sirius was grinning at me, his eyes wide in surprise. "Why don't we go now?"


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

A few days after the little incident with McLaggen - I wanted to kill him, but Hermione persuaded me not to - we found a solution for our problem with Slughorn and the memory.

To our surprise - and mostly to Hermione's - Ron was the one to figure out a way to get it from the old potions master. The answer was so simple that we should have thought of it right after Dumbledore told Harry about his 'homework', but it seemed as if it was just  _too_ easy. We were all used to solve difficult problems with much more difficult solutions, so the idea to use Felix Felicis, the liquid luck, didn't come to our minds. We were so stupid! 

In those days when I was at school with James, Remus and Peter, we always searched for the easiest way to solve a problem. Of course we were able to do difficult things as well, like becoming Animagi, but doing things  _without_ doing much was much cooler and that's what we were - cool. Others admired us for doing strange and often dangerous things and we liked it a lot. 

Now I was sitting in the Gryffindor common room, together with Ron and Hermione. Harry had just used the potion and went to see Hagrid which had surprised us all. After all, the plan was to get the memory from Slughorn and not to visit friends.

"Do you really think he's going to Hagrid's?" Hermione whispered and looked at us with a concerned expression on her face.

"Yes." Ron and I answered together and Hermione got even more worried. I sat down on the sofa next to her and smiled reassuringly. After making sure that no one was watching us, I touched her hand gently.

Hermione seemed to calm down a bit and frowned. "And what are we going to do now? I mean, he has to go to Slughorn, and not to Hagrid."

"You can't do much about it, can you?" Ron asked and shrugged.

I nodded. "We have to wait. And maybe he'll get the memory, even though he's on his way to Hagrid. Sometimes, the fate is going ways we don't understand. Maybe Harry has to go to Hagrid to get the memory from Slughorn." When I saw the thoughtful expressions of the two students, my smile grew wider. "I think of all people you should know best that things do happen in very strange and unusual ways very often."

* * *

The whole evening and the beginning of the night we've been thinking of what Harry was doing, but of course he didn't return. So we went to bed and I couldn't sleep. The task of my godson was very important, not only to him but to the whole world. If we knew what exactly Voldemort asked so many years ago, we could be able to stop him or at least know what he'll do next. And maybe we could see where Voldemort had weak points. Even though there was not much humane at him, he was still human. You could defeat the Dark Lord, as he called himself. We did it before, but there was something which prevented him from dying. And so he returned. The only thing we needed to know now was how we could kill him forever.

With these thoughts, I fell asleep and the next morning, they were still there.

In the Great Hall, Hermione, Ron and I met Harry. He was coming very late and he looked tired.

"You look as if you were asleep the whole night." Ron greeted his best friend and Harry sat down and yawned.

"Almost." He murmured and I raised my eyebrows.

"How was your trip?" I wanted to know and now Ron and Hermione looked at Harry too.

"It was great." A small smile appeared on Harry's lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"What happened?" Hermione, who had noticed the look in his eyes as well, asked.

"I'll tell you later, you know where. In the break." Harry said and began to eat his breakfast.

We also continued to eat. So after the first lessons in the Room of Requirement. That would be interesting.

* * *

The Room of Requirement looked like a comfortable living room with a couch and two armchairs. Hermione and I sat down on the couch and I wrapped my arm around her while Harry and Ron sat down in the armchairs.

"So what happened last night?" Ron asked impatiently.

"I went to Hagrid." Harry began and Hermione looked at him reproachfully, but she didn't say anything. "On my way to the grounds, I met Professor Slughorn. He didn't want me to leave the castle alone and when I told him about Aragog, he came with me. Of course not because of Hagrid. He wanted the poison from the spider. Seems like it is very valuable." He grinned.

"Sounds just like good old Sluggy..." I murmured and Harry, Ron and Hermione laughed.

"After Aragog's burial, Hagrid and Slughorn began to drink and after some time, when they were too drunk to know what they were doing, I asked him again. It wasn't difficult to persuade him to give it to me."

"What did you say?" Hermione looked at him with wide eyes.

"I talked about my mum and the way she died, I mean, Slughorn loved her. And I told him that I want to kill Voldemort for her, so that nothing like that can happen again."

We looked at Harry without being able to say something. We knew that he'd do anything to persuade Slughorn to give him the memory, but talking about his mother and the way she died was... something I didn't expect.

Two tears were escaping my eyes and Hermione wiped them away. She took my hands.

"Lily and James would have been proud of you, Harry." I whispered and Harry smiled at me.

"Thank you, Sirius."

After a few moments of silence, in which Harry was looking on his hands, Hermione and I exchanged a loving look and Ron tried to act as if he wasn't there, I looked at Harry again.

"What did you do after you got the memory?"

"I went to Dumbledore's office. He returned yesterday night, so I was very lucky. Then we watched the memory. And you won't believe what Voldemort has done so many years ago."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

Sirius, Ron and I looked at Harry curiously.

He got the memory from Professor Slughorn and watched it with Dumbledore. So Felix Felicis worked after all. Even though he went to Hagrid and not to Slughorn. Well, luck is something you can't understand, right? At least not if you prefer acting logical and trust your brain. Which I always tried to do.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked, ending the silence which filled the room.

"He created Horcruxes." Sirius assumed and Harry nodded.

"But he didn't want to know how to do it. He already knew how to create them. The question he asked was much worse." A troubled look appeared on Harry's face and I began to feel cold, even though Sirius had put his arms around me. This look was just appearing on Harry's face when something very bad happened.

"What could be worse than to know how to split your soul into pieces?" I raised my eyebrows. Creating a Horcrux was a piece of very dark magic and I shivered just at the thought of it.

"He wanted to know what happened if you split your soul into seven pieces." Harry said simply.

"He asked  _what_ ?" Sirius called out and I winced since his voice was so alarmed and loud. "I'm sorry," He apologized quickly and kissed my cheek, "but I can't believe that someone would split his soul into seven pieces. That's just... mad. I mean, isn't it savage enough to split your soul just into two pieces?" 

"That's exactly what Slughorn said." Harry muttered. "Of course he believed Voldemort when he said that it was only a hypothetical question."

Ron's expression darkened. "What a fool. He trusted him too much."

"Nobody thought that he would really use dark magic." I objected. "Not even Dumbledore assumed something like that. I mean, in the years after that he did, but at that time? He was the best student at Hogwarts, won many prizes and they even thought that he could become Minister of Magic one day."

"And you have to consider that Slughorn was very nice to the best students all the time because he hoped that he could benefit of them someday." Sirius added. He ran his hand through his hair and I had to smile. I loved it when he was doing this. He looked so beautiful then and I wanted to kiss him so badly.

Of course Sirius noticed my look and he smiled at me too. We kissed each other quickly and turned around to Harry and Ron again. They pretended not to have noticed what we were doing and my smile grew even wider. I really loved these boys, they were part of my family.

"So what happened then?" I asked to show the others that we weren't kissing anymore.

Harry looked at us again and I saw a small smile on his lips, right before his expression turned serious again. "Dumbledore thinks that he created seven Horcruxes. Slughorn told him that it was possible, but that nobody dared to make more than one."

"When did he ever care about what others were doing?" Ron murmured darkly and Harry nodded.

"That's the point. If he would do that, he wouldn't be Voldemort anymore." Sirius said and I saw that he was lost in thoughts. "He doesn't care about others and friends are something he doesn't know. He's afraid of love and relationships of all kind. Everything he needs are followers who do what he wants. The only person he trusts is himself."

"So you don't think that anyone knows about the Horcruxes?" Ron asked hopefully, but there was also doubt in his voice. I couldn't judge him for that.

"Presumably not."

"Dumbledore suspects that, too." Harry reported.

"But how did Dumbledore get to know all these things about them?" Ron was getting more and more confused.

"That should be obvious to you, Ron." I stated and looked at him attentively. I wanted that he understood what I was saying. "Everyone fears Voldemort, right?"

"Right."

"And this fear is his strongest weapon. No one knows who he was before he became Lord Voldemort. Only a few people knew Tom Riddle, the brilliant student who was at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry so many years ago. Dumbledore was one of them. So he knows much about his past and how he behaved and maybe what he thought."

"Okay, sounds logical."

"With these memories of the young Tom Riddle, you can try to understand him. If you know what kind of person he's been before he turned evil, you can maybe assume what he's thinking today. And you can imagine how he would act in certain situations. Right?"

"Right." Ron answered immediately and Harry and Sirius nodded.

"And that's what Dumbledore is doing. He collects memories of Voldemort's past and uses them against him. Of course he searches for the ones which aren't that easy to find, the ones who show how he really is. And by doing that, he got the memory from Slughorn about the Horcruxes."

After a few moments of silence, Ron nodded slowly. "You're right."

I smiled. "That's something you don't have to mention."

Sirius grinned at me. "You're very confident, Madam."

"Thank you, Sir." I replied sweetly and we all started to laugh.

"And then there's one last thing Dumbledore told me. We've already destroyed some Horcruxes."

Suddenly, we were all serious again.

"You're kidding." Ron called out wide-eyed.

Harry shook his head. "The diary. The part of Voldemort's soul in it tried to possess Ginny and by sticking it with a basilisk’s fang, I killed this piece. And then Dumbledore found a ring. That's also how he injured his hand. And he thinks that he's close to finding another one."

"So he's hunting Horcruxes when he leaves the school." Sirius murmured and Harry nodded.

"Hunting?" I asked. "That's a strange choice of words..."


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

A few days after Harry told us about the Horcruxes, I was sitting at the  _Three Broomsticks_ at Hogsmeade. So Dumbledore was searching the Horcruxes and if he succeeded at getting all of them, we would be able to kill Voldemort. 

The wizard of whom everyone thought that he was immortal and invincible. That would be a surprise to the world. And mostly to Voldemort himself because he thought that he was the only person knowing about the Horcruxes.

Hermione was right when she said that Dumbledore was the most brilliant wizard in the world. No one else found out so many things about the Dark Lord - as he called himself - and Voldemort didn't even know that Dumbledore was doing researches.

A small smile appeared on my lips. Maybe we could win this war and kill Voldemort. And this time, he wouldn't be able to return. When no Horcruxes were left, his soul would be destroyed forever. That sounded really good and suddenly, I saw my life how it could be when this goddamn war would be over.

One day, I would marry Hermione, there was no doubt of it. She was the love of my life and I couldn't imagine anything more terrible than losing her. We would live in a nice little house, somewhere in the south of the country, maybe close to the ocean. And there we would have children. I knew that she wanted that and I found the idea pretty nice too. The whole time when I was in Azkaban, I thought that I would never be able to fall in love. Who could love a murderer? If someone would have told me that the truth would come out someday and that I would be a free man again, I would have just laughed. In Azkaban, everything seemed dark and hopeless, but after I escaped, the desire for a better future returned. And then I went to Hogwarts and my whole world was turned upside down.

Harry, Ron and Hermione helped me to flee from the Dementor's and the Ministry which wasn't very easy. During the next years, I had to stay hidden, but I helped my godson and his friends as best as I could. And then, after Harry had done one of the most stupid things in his life, I was free again. It was still difficult to believe that the Ministry wanted me to forgive them for their mistake, and I felt that a grin appeared on my lips.

And then there was Hermione, the person I loved most in this world. Being in love was just... great. There wasn't any other word for it. Just great. Only that I had to tell her that I loved her. However, I didn't find the right moment until now.

"You're early." A voice behind my back said and I didn't turn around.

"No, I'm not early. You're just late."

"Actually, I'm  _punctual_ , Pads." Remus sat down opposite of me, a weary smile on his face, but I could see the amused gleam in his eyes. 

I grinned. "Isn't being too early better than being punctual, which is in that case, too late?"

"But if you think like that, someone who was too late, would be much too late, then."

"And that's the problem of the person who was too early?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yes, of course it is. After all, you'd have to wait all the time until the last person arrives to start the conversation."

"Oh, then I'll be too late next time." I growled.

Then we both started to laugh loudly.

"It's good to see you, Remus." I grinned and now the weariness in Remus' smile vanished.

"It's nice to see you too, Sirius."

"So what's going on in the world? I've been at Hogwarts for a long time now and so the Order's doings are unknown to me. Dumbledore tells me some things now and then, but that's almost nothing. And of course the others who are patrolling the borders mention a few things sometimes." Just that I didn't see them for some time now. I'd been too busy with Harry and the others.

A concerned expression appeared on Remus' face and my grin disappeared immediately.

"There are more killings and many people just disappear or they flee to other countries where they think the Death Eaters can't find them."

I nodded slowly. "But that's no secret. Even the  _Prophet_ writes about some of those things. Which doesn't mean that you can believe what is said in that piece of rubbish anymore. They tell the people that everything's all right and that they don't have to fear Voldemort and the Death Eaters." I shook my head angrily. 

"They're afraid." Remus shrugged. "Or the Death Eaters have taken over the Ministry, but that's something I wouldn't want to experience in my life."

I looked at him darkly. "I think that'll happen soon. Dumbledore is very restless at the moment. Voldemort and his forces are getting stronger and there aren't many things we can do about it." Except destroying the Horcruxes he had made, but of course I didn't say that. It had to be kept secret as long as possible.

"I know. And I think the Muggles suspect that something's going on, too. They think that the environment is changing too strong and that the crime rate increases. Yes, that's nonsense, but the fact that they noticed  _something_ , after all, is alarming." 

I nodded. "We have to stop him soon."

"And Dumbledore didn't tell you anything about his plans?" Remus asked hopefully and I could see his desperation. He did tell me something, I wanted to say and comfort my best friend, but I wasn't allowed to do it. And that's why I shook my head.

"No, but he has plans, that's for sure." I leaned closer to him. "He leaves the castle sometimes to search a way to stop Voldemort. No one knows what exactly he's doing. However, it seems to be very important."

I saw the hope in Remus' eyes again and smiled at my friend. "We're going to win this war, you don't have to worry, Moony. It'll be all right."

"I hope so." He muttered and looked at his hands.

"And what's going on in your life?"

His hands twitched a little bit and I knew that I had hit a sensitive spot.

"What do you mean? Everything's all right. I'm doing my work for the Order and showing up at Grimmauld Place once in a while to exchange the information we get. That's all."

I couldn't stop the slight smile appearing on my lips. "Oh come on, I know that there's something going on between you and Tonks!"

Remus paled and his hands began to shiver uncontrollably.

"And don't deny it, your body has just revealed you." I grinned, but when I saw Remus' distress, I frowned.

"Okay, I do really like her. Happy? I mean, she's beautiful and funny and just... amazing, but it can't work. And so there will be nothing between us." My eyes grew wide. I'd never seen Remus talking about someone like that. When we were at Hogwarts, he never had a girlfriend. They all wanted to have James and me, which wasn't a big surprise. And at that time, books and rules were more important for our little werewolf than girls and feelings. Except for friendship, of course.

"Remus Lupin, are you in love?" I raised my eyebrows and my smile grew even wider. That could be interesting.

"No! I mean, Tonks nice and everything but... I can't love her! That would destroy her entire life!" He answered panic-struck and I frowned.

"What do you mean?" Why wouldn't he allow himself to be happy?

"I'm a werewolf! What will she think when I'm transforming? And children? That would be impossible! I can't give my burden to an innocent child! And moreover, I don't think that she wants me..."

I breathed in deeply. “My dear friend, I have to tell you something very terrible. You're stupid and blind."

"Wait,  _what_ ?" He stared at me incredulously.

"You don't look at Tonks very much, do you? I mean when she's watching you as well. She's crazy about you! Every time someone says your name, she looks up immediately. And did you even notice how bad she's looking at the moment and how sad she is? That's because of you. She  _loves you_ , Remus." I said emphatically and looked into his eyes. 

"No..." He whispered weakly and I shook my head.

"Yes, there's no doubt of it."

"I would destroy her, make her an outcast! Everyone hates my kind and that would have effects on her life too. I can't do that to anyone!" The grief in his eyes and voice shocked me. He really thought that there was no future for him and Tonks. And that he wasn't allowed to love just because he was a werewolf. I'd never seen my best friend like this.

"Tonks isn't a child anymore, right? " I asked and raised one of my eyebrows slowly. The right one, of course. That looked much better than the left.

Remus frowned. "No, of course not."

"Then you should let her make her own decisions." I said simply.

"But I'm also too old for her!" Remus protested weakly.

"Don't tell me something about age differences." I said grimly and he froze.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to -"

"It's all right. But when it's working with me and Hermione, then you and Tonks shouldn't have any problems because of your age." I smiled at him. "You know that I want more love in this world, right?"

Remus nodded slowly.

"Then why don't you just talk to her? Maybe you can see what you're really feeling when you can look into her eyes. And perhaps she'll tell you something about her feelings too."

There were a few moments of silence, in which Remus was thinking about the things I said. Then he nodded again. "Okay, I'll go and talk to her. And see where it lead's us."

"Can you just promise me one thing?" I asked softly and Remus raised his eyebrows. "Don't break her heart. That's nothing she deserves."

"I don't think that I could do that." Remus murmured and I was satisfied. A smile appeared on my face again.

"So let's talk about..."


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that the first chapters of this story are so short! They'll be longer later, I promise! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

Now the potions book of the Half Blood Prince was gone.

And I felt a kind of grim satisfaction. I've told Harry that there was something wrong with the book all the time, but of course he didn't listen to me. Or to Ginny. And Sirius.

So Draco Malfoy was hurt very badly because of a spell called _Sectumsempra_ and Harry got detention and that's why he would miss the last Quidditch match of the year. Even though I wasn't a big Quidditch fan, I had to admit that it was infuriating. Without Harry, it would be very difficult for Gryffindor to win.

"I think they've still got a chance to win." Sirius said and I looked at him. We were sitting in the Room of Requirement, a few hours after Harry had decided to give away the book.

I frowned. "Are you sure?"

He nodded. "They're a good team, even if Harry isn't allowed to play. When they succeed at finding a good substitute, everything's going to be all right."

"And who is as good as Harry?" I asked, my voice filled with doubt.

A little smile appeared on Sirius' face. "I'm sure my godson will find someone worthy."

I couldn't stop myself from smiling back at the man I loved, but my doubts didn't vanish.

"He wouldn't have to find someone who can replace him if he wouldn't have trusted that book."

The smile on his lips vanished and he nodded, suddenly looking concerned. "It was foolish." He murmured.

"I really want to know who this  _Prince_ was. Do you think we can find something in the library?" 

Now the smile on Sirius' face reappeared. "Sounds like my girl." He wrapped his arms around me and leaned forward,so that his face was very close to mine. "Always thinking of the library as the easiest way to solve problems."

I laughed. "I proved that it  _is_ the easiest way to solve problems many times, so just believe me when I say that we'll find something about the person who wrote the comments into that book there." 

He joined my laughter before he leaned in to kiss me deeply.

* * *

Of course Harry was too stubborn to listen to the things I found out about Eileen Prince, the woman who could have owned the potions book once. Sirius thought that it could be possible, but Harry and Ron didn't want to hear a single word against the book. And they couldn't stop talking about Draco Malfoy and his doings in the Room of Requirement.

I was furious.

So it wasn't a surprise that I collided with some other student right after our conversation. I was on my way to the prefect bathroom, a part of the castle in which you usually didn't meet the first and second years, and just before I could enter the passage to my right, someone ran into me. Or I ran into someone. It was hard to say. I stumbled back a few steps and held my head. It was hurting and first I saw everything in a very fuzzy way.

When my view clarified again, I looked up. And saw Draco Malfoy standing in front of me, tears streaming down his face. I froze in shock and he seemed to be very surprised too. After some seconds of silence, I decided to say something. "Are you all right?" I asked uneasily and to my surprise, Draco raised his eyebrows a little bit. Wasn't he going to insult me and run away? It was very difficult to stop myself from frowning, but somehow, I succeeded. I didn't want to make him angry, not after what Harry had done to him. Of course I didn't blame Harry. He was my best friend, after all.

And why wasn't I mean to Draco? Well, maybe because he looked so vulnerable right now. He was sad and kind of... broken. I just knew it. Whatever they wanted him to do, it was too much for him. He wasn't  _that_ evil. He couldn't be. 

Suddenly, he let his shoulders hang. It was a cry for help, I knew it immediately. But what could I do for Draco Malfoy, one of the people I hated most? And why did I feel pity for him? I allowed myself to raise my eyebrows just a little bit to ask him what he wanted me to do.

He shrugged his shoulders, turned around and left.


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius 

I was surprised. I couldn't say it any other way.

Hermione had just told me that she had met Draco Malfoy in the hallway and that he was looking kind of... broken. Of course he didn't say anything to her and so she was silent too and I understood it very well. Why would she talk to someone who has been mean to her since the moment she first met him?

"I think his task is too big for him." I suspected slowly. "I mean, he isn't even of age. Not everyone can stand such pressure."

Hermione frowned. "I don't know what I should think of it." She admitted. "I mean, all right, after what happened to him when he last met Harry, it's normal that he's not feeling very well at the moment. He got injured and most people aren't happy after that. But he didn't just look tired. He was a wreck. He was crying and paler than ever. And he lost weight. The moment I saw him, I felt pity. I wanted to help him and couldn't figure out how." Her voice was desperate and I knew that she wasn't feeling well at the thought of letting Draco fulfill his task. She couldn't see other people suffering. And I loved that about her.

Nevertheless, I didn't like the idea of my girlfriend pitying another man. Worst of all was that I hated him. He had treated Harry, Ron and Hermione very badly during the last years and his family wasn't better. Not my family. Just his. My family was here right now, at Hogwarts. And I would do everything to protect the people I loved.

I looked around quickly - luckily, the Gryffindor common room was nearly empty - and took her hands. "Hermione, everything's going to be all right. I don't know how, but we'll find a way to help him." Maybe. "But now we have to concentrate on different things. You remember that we have to find the Horcruxes, right?" My voice was just a whisper because I didn't want anyone except Hermione to hear the last sentence. No one should know that we were hunting the Horcruxes.

For a few seconds, Hermione was silent. Then, the absent look in her eyes vanished and the gleam I loved so much returned. A small smile appeared on her lips again. I had her back and I couldn't stop myself from returning her smile.

"Yes, how could I forget that? I have tried to find out more about them, but it's very difficult. The library doesn't have any books about them, not even in the forbidden part." When she saw the perplexed expression on my face, her smile turned into a grin. "No, you cannot ask how I got there and when I visited it. And why no one found me."

I shook my head and chuckled softly. She was always able to surprise me. Normally, Hermione was against breaking the rules. But this...

She blushed and I raised my hand to touch her cheek. I wanted to kiss her very badly, but of course that wasn't possible. At least there were some other people in the room too.

"Should I ask Albus if he's got any information about them?" I suggested and Hermione nodded happily.

"That would be great!" She wrapped her arms around me and I kissed her cheek quickly. So her hair could be useful in moments like this. Interesting. I had to keep that in mind.

"I'll do it when -" I couldn't finish that sentence.

Ron and Ginny entered the common room and joined us at the fireplace.

"Where's Harry?" Ron asked and raised his eyebrows.

"Dumbledore." Hermione answered shortly and everyone knew what was going on. Of course Ginny didn't know why he was having lessons with the headmaster, but since she and Harry were a couple now, he had told her about it. The fact that the two of them were together was a very important theme to most of the students. Harry Potter, the Chosen One, was taken. It wasn't a surprise that some girls weren't very nice to Ginny at the moment. However, she was a strong girl and ignored the things which were said about her. I admired her for that. In times like this, it was difficult to be yourself sometimes.

Suddenly, someone entered the room very quickly and I turned around at the sound of quick steps. Harry was walking towards us and he looked very tense. What did Dumbledore tell my godson that he was so agitated right now? I looked at him anxiously.

"Harry, what happened? Are you all right?" I asked in a worried tone.

"What does Dumbledore want?" Ron added with a look to Ginny. Why did he ask that? Harry couldn't answer the question when Ginny was around.

"I'm fine." Harry answered shortly and ran up the stairs into the dormitory. After a few moments, he came back with his Invisibility Cloak, the Marauder's Map and a pair of balled-up socks. I raised my eyebrows at this.

"I haven't got much time." Harry panted and I got nervous. What was going on? "Dumbledore thinks I'm getting my Invisibility Cloak. Listen, we're -" When he saw that Ginny was sitting here too, he stopped.

Even though Ginny didn't look happy, she stood up, kissed Harry quickly and turned towards the door. "Tell them what's going on. It doesn't matter. I know that Dumbledore doesn't want you to tell it anyone else." And with these words, she left the common room.

After a few moments, Harry looked at us again. "Okay, Dumbledore..." And then he told us that Dumbledore had found another Horcrux and that they were going to search it. I didn't feel well at the thought of my godson being in danger, but I didn't say anything. He would be with Dumbledore and so nothing could happen to him. Hermione was very shocked and she took my hand. I felt that she was shivering. Ron tried to ask questions many times, but it didn't work. Harry was too hectically right now.

"... so you see what this means?" Harry finished quickly and I knew that he wanted nothing more than to run to Dumbledore again. "Dumbledore won't be here tonight, so Malfoy's gonna have another clear shot at whatever he's up to. No,  _listen to me!_ " He hissed angrily when Hermione, Ron and I were about to interrupt him. "I know it was Malfoy celebrating in the Room of Requirement. Here -" He handed me the Marauder's Map. "You've got to watch him and you've got to watch Snape, too. Use anyone else who you can rustle up from the DA. You should use the contact Galleons. They do still work, right?" He looked at Hermione and she nodded. "Dumbledore has put extra protection on the school, but if Snape's involved, he'll know what Dumbledore's protection is, and how to avoid it. But nobody will be expecting you to be on the watch." 

"Harry -" Hermione began and I saw the fear in her eyes.

"I haven't got time to argue." Harry said curtly and handed Ron the socks.

"Thanks." Ron answered immediately before he looked confused. "Er - why do I need socks?"

"In them you can find Felix Felicis. Share it between yourselves and Ginny too. And say goodbye to her from me. I've gotta go, Dumbledore's waiting."

Before anyone of us could say one more word, Harry had left the room and we were alone again.

"What was that?" Ron asked in a perplexed way.

"I don't know." Hermione was stunned and I didn't know what to say either.

"We should do what he wants." I said after a few minutes of silence. "It wasn't a joke and I don't trust Malfoy and Snape too. When Dumbledore isn't here, anything could happen. I think I'll call some members of the Order to come here."

"I'll contact the DA." Hermione whispered and Ron just nodded.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

Of course only a few members of the DA wanted to join us at watching the castle. Well, two wanted to help us, to be completely honest.

Neville and Luna came to us just a few minutes after I'd sent the message with the Galleons. They were very excited and couldn't wait for something to happen. When they heard that Harry would leave the castle with Dumbledore this evening - I didn't tell them why - and that the school might be in danger, they were determined to protect it.

I knew that they missed the DA lessons from last year and I couldn't blame them for that. Somehow, I missed them too. It had been so good to be around many people in my age and to have fun. And I had liked the thought of breaking the rules.

A small smile appeared on my face and Sirius, who was standing next to me, raised an eyebrow. "I'm thinking about the DA lessons last year." I admitted and he began to smile too. "I miss them. We've learned so much and Harry was a very good teacher, even though he didn't believe it at first. And it was really amazing how many people wanted to learn to defend themselves. At that time, Harry thought that everybody was against him."

"They were against him." Sirius reminded me. "No one believed that Voldemort was back, right? And they had said that Dumbledore was a liar too."

I nodded, but my smile didn't disappear. "And by that time, you were a murderer who'd fled from Azkaban, remember?"

Now Sirius began to grin. "Well, maybe I am a murderer and good at hiding it?"

I looked at him earnestly. "I would know that, Mr. Black."

"And why do you think that, Mrs. Granger?"

"I love you." I said simply and he frowned. Only then I realized what I'd just said and my eyes grew wide. But before I could say anything else, a soft smile appeared on Sirius' lips.

“I love you too, Hermione.” He said softly. My heart was beating wildly in my chest. Sirius loved me too? This was too good to be true! For a few moments, we smiled at each other silently. Then I grinned, remembering our conversation. "Do you really think that I would fall in love with a Death Eater or someone who kills people? I know that you're not evil and that you want to help others. Otherwise, you wouldn't be in the Order. And when you're around the ones you trust, you don't make a big effort to hide your feelings and thoughts." Was this really true? Sometimes, it was really difficult to understand Sirius. But that didn't change the fact that I loved him.

He tried to look offended. I grinned at him because his attempt didn't work and after a few seconds, he began to smile too. "Is this true?" He asked and for half a second, I thought that there was doubt in his voice. I was sure that I'd imagined that.

"That I love you? Yes, indeed. That you're a good person? Of course. And that you can be pretty stupid sometimes isn't a secret. I mean, you just have to look at you and then you know immediately that you're not always serious. And that you like doing forbidden things. And being admired. And that punishments don't have an effect on you." I could have continued, but decided to stop it here.

Sirius laughed loudly and it sounded a little like the barking of a dog. Which he was. Kind of. "You're the most intelligent witch I've ever met, Hermione. Do you know that? And you seldom meet someone who can play with words so good or speak so fast. I love you." The last three words were just a soft whisper and I looked around quickly to make sure that nobody could see us. We were standing at a window close to Gryffindor Tower. Ron, Luna, Neville and Ginny were in an empty classroom which wasn't far away from where we were standing. Right now, the hallways were empty.

So I wrapped my arms around Sirius and kissed him. I liked the feeling of his lips on mine. They were so soft and warm. When our tongues met, I felt the usual tension in my body, which always appeared when we were very close to each other. His hands were in my hair. Every other girl wouldn't have liked that, but my hair was so fractious that it didn't make a difference. And it felt good.

I tightened my grip around his shoulders and one of his hands moved to my waist. A soft moan escaped Sirius' lips and I smiled into the kiss.

I couldn't say how long we stood there like this. Besides, I didn't care. When I was with Sirius, everything else was unimportant.

"You're amazing." Sirius whispered and looked into my eyes. I just wanted to say something when I heard footsteps behind my back. I turned around to see Ron running towards us.

He was looking nervous and I knew immediately that something had happened.

"What's going on?" Sirius asked loudly and took my hand. Ron knew that we were together so we didn't have to hide in front of him. I looked at Sirius gratefully.

"The other members of the Order are here. Lupin, Tonks, Bill, Fleur and some others. They want to help us at protecting the castle. And then there's something else going on." He took a deep breath. "Draco entered the Room of Requirement."

* * *

The corridors around the Room of Requirement were empty. Everything was silent and the footsteps of Ron, Neville, Luna, Ginny, Sirius and me sounded were very loud to me. We had all drunk a drop of Felix Felicis and I hoped that we didn't waste it. It was too valuable for that. But at the same time, I was grateful for having it because the thought that something could happen to one of my friends was unendurable to me.

We waited for a very long time and just when I had given up the hope that something might happen, the door appeared and opened a little bit. Draco left the room, the Hand of Glory in his hands. I frowned. Why did he carry that object?

"We have to do something!" Neville whispered and Ginny nodded.

"We must catch him."

Then everything was dark.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

"Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder!" I growled loudly and tried to see anything, but it was impossible. The entire corridor was filled with darkness.

"I think I should talk to Fred and George about the people who buy their things!" I heard Ron's angry voice. He seemed to stand a few feet to my left.

"Is everyone okay?" Hermione asked in a worried tone, but the question wasn't necessary. No one had been hurt, of course.

"We have to follow him!" Neville cried loudly.

"First, we have to leave this part of the castle! As long as we're here, we can't do anything!" I answered and apparently, I was one of the few people who stayed calm.

"Okay, then let's go into the same direction as Draco." I couldn't say whose voice I heard, but the idea sounded good to me.

As soon as we'd left the corridor, I closed my eyes for a few seconds. "He ran towards the Astronomy Tower." I told the others and most of them seemed to be surprised. Of course they didn't know that I could turn into a big, black dog. Because of that, I could follow people by their scents.

"All right, then let's go!" Neville said quickly and Luna nodded.

"I don't think that it's a good idea to follow him without a plan..." Hermione began, but the sound of footsteps interrupted her.

I raised my wand, ready to attack the enemies, but when I saw who was coming to join us, I relaxed again. I couldn't stop myself from smiling. "You're late!"

"No, you've sent us to the wrong part of the castle!" Tonks replied with a grin.

"Maybe you're just too slow."

"Or the place of the events was badly chosen."

"Couldn't you -"

"I don't think that it's the right moment for a nice, little talk." Remus interrupted us. He was looking very serious right now.

"I think he's right." Hermione nodded and looked at me. I knew that she was worried. The last time we had to fight, I had nearly died. I was just standing here because Hermione had reacted so fast and saved me. Of course she didn't think about the fact that she also nearly died and I was worried too.

I couldn't stand losing her. Hopefully, the potion was working.

"We have to find Snape." Remus said loudly.

"Why?" Ron asked in surprise and I saw that he didn't like the thought of Severus Snape joining the battle.

"We need more help. I don't know if they could overpower us and I don't want to risk anything."

I nodded reluctantly. "Remus is right. Hermione, Luna, can you search him?"

The two girls didn't look happy, but that wasn't important right now. I had to make sure that Hermione wasn't going to be in the middle of the battle and this was the only way.

"Of course we can fetch him." Luna answered seriously and so Hermione didn't have a choice to say no.

"Okay, we'll follow Draco." Remus announced and a determined expression appeared on his face. "Let's go!"

While the others began to run into the same direction as Draco, I turned towards Hermione. "Be careful." I whispered into her ear and she nodded.

"And you have to take care of yourself! I don't want to lose you."

I smiled and touched her hand softly. "I love you."

"I love you too."

And then she turned around to follow Luna. I looked after her for a few seconds. Then I began to run towards the Astronomy Tower.

* * *

I wasn't surprised to see so many Death Eaters in the corridor.

Somehow, Draco must have helped them to get into the castle. But I couldn't think about that right now. There were more important things I had to do.

Remus was already fighting against Bellatrix Lestrange. Tonks was trying to help him, which wasn't easy because the other woman tried to hit her with a curse very often.

I just wanted to curse Bellatrix to help my friends when something else attracted my attention. It was Fenrir Greyback, who was running towards Bill. It was impossible for Bill to see Greyback coming because he was defending himself against another Death Eater, maybe Dolohov, but I wasn't sure about that.

Before I knew what I was doing, I had already raised my wand and it pointed at Greyback. " _Stupor!_ " The spell hit him on the chest and he fell to the ground.

He stood up quickly and looked around to find the person who had hit him with the spell. When his eyes met mine, I grinned. I knew that it was provocative and maybe also stupid, but I didn't care. He had wanted to attack one of my friends and that was inexcusable to me. And besides, Greyback had turned Remus, one of my best friends, into a werewolf.

I wanted revenge.

I wanted to see him lying on the ground, hit by my own curse.

I didn't hear the curse Greyback was using. The only thing I saw were his lips which began to move and of course the purple flash of light which escaped his wand.

" _Protego!_ " I cried and took a few steps back. Luckily, the shielding charm had worked. 

During the next minutes, Greyback and I dueled, but it wasn't easy to defeat him. We were moving very quickly and it was difficult to find a way to overbear the other one's shield.

I didn't begin to get tired. I couldn't explain it, but I liked being able to fight again. The last time I had been stupid and made a big mistake. Right now, I wouldn't do it again. I had to be smarter. Maybe I also wanted to prove that I didn't forget how to defeat someone. At least that would also be a logical explanation.

Suddenly, Greyback turned to the right and raised his want very quickly. I growled. If his senses wouldn't have been sharpened because he was a werewolf, Bill's curse would have hit him. But now he was distracted and there wasn't any shielding charm to protect him from my curse.

Greyback hit the ground a few meters behind the position where he'd been standing before. But then, two things happened at the same time.

I heard the sound of a loud explosion and suddenly, the entire corridor was filled with dust. Someone was screaming - maybe Fleur. And then there was another sound. Some kind of a hiss, which seemed to move towards me.

I didn't hear  _that_ explosion. The only thing I noticed was that I was flying through the air for a few seconds. The impact with the wall didn't hurt as much as I had expected, but the collision with the ground wasn't very nice. My head seemed to burst and the rest of my body felt like it was on fire. 

For a few seconds, everything was dark. But then I was able to control myself again and I opened my eyes.

Apparently, the two explosions had been planned. It was difficult to see anything except the dust in the air and the flashes of light.

I stoop up slowly and luckily, I didn't fall to the ground again. My wand was still in my right hand and it surprised me that it didn't break into pieces.

Determinedly, I began to move into the dust. I went into the direction from which I thought that Bill would have to be there. Of course I wasn't sure, but that wasn't important right now. Maybe I would meet a Death Eater, then we could have a nice, little talk.

It was the right direction.

Bill Weasley was there.

And Fenrir Greyback was kneeling over him.


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very sad chapter. I hope you like it. 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

It happened all very fast. In one moment, Greyback was kneeling over Bill, presumably trying to torture or kill him. In the next one, he wasn’t there anymore, but lay on the ground a few feet behind the injured Weasley.

I couldn’t tell how I moved so fast or which spell I used to get him away from Bill. My anger seemed to let everything else vanish. I heard a loud cry which sounded like Fleur, but I wasn’t sure. It could have also been Ginny or someone else crying. The noises of the battle around me drowned all the other sounds.

As fast as possible, I ran to Bill and knelt down next to him. Remus was already there and I saw that he was trying to get to know how bad Bill was injured. His hands were covered in blood. “Let me see him!” Someone cried and I was just fast enough to get out of the way before a person with red hair threw herself onto Bill.

I would have liked to help them, but the sound of footsteps made me jump to my feet immediately. I raised my wand and pointed in the direction where I heard steps. Just to see the faces of Hermione and Luna directly in front of me.

I couldn’t hide my surprise and for a moment, I was afraid of seeing Hermione here. I had hoped that the battle would be over before they'd arrived.

“It’s Snape! He’s helping the Death Eaters!” Hermione’s words snapped me out of my thoughts and I stared at her.

“ _Snape_?!” I cried and the two girls nodded fiercely.

“We met Professor Flitwick on our way to his office and then he went inside to tell Snape that he should come with him…” Hermione paused for a brief moment. “We heard a loud thump and Snape came running out of his room and when he saw us he said that Professor Flitwick had collapsed and that we should go and take care of him while he went to help fighting the Death Eaters.” She shook her head and I had to ignore the urge to take her into my arms. “I was so stupid! He must have stupefied Flitwick!”

“Where is he now?” I interrupted her harshly and even to me it sounded like a bark. I regretted talking to her in this tone, but if it was true what she said, we didn’t have much time left.

“He ran towards the Tower…” I didn’t hear what she said afterwards. I was already running towards the Astronomy Tower as fast as I could. But it seemed as if I was too late. The barrier they had built was broken and I heard laughter. However, I couldn’t see anyone causing that noise. So I just decided to see if someone was still in the Tower.

“They are not there anymore!” Minerva McGonagall shouted and I stopped immediately. “Severus is with them and they are leaving the castle towards the grounds.”

She seemed to calm down slowly, but her news alerted me even more. “ _No_!” The tone of my voice must have surprised her since Minerva jerked back with a shocked expression on her face. “Where’s Harry?” I asked, however she didn’t answer. “WHERE’S HARRY?” Now I was yelling at her, but I didn’t care. I saw on her face that she didn’t know the answer, so I just turned around and ran towards the steps – the direction in which the Death Eaters had vanished.

I had to find out what had happened to Harry. He had to be here somewhere. I just knew it. Otherwise, the Death Eaters wouldn’t already leave the castle. And where was Dumbledore?

I knew that I was growling angrily. I wished that I could go after them faster, but sadly, that wasn’t possible. I was already running as fast as I could.

I knew that I was too late when I left the castle. Hagrid’s house was burning and I just saw a few cloaked figures disappear into the forest.

“HAGRID?” That definitely wasn’t a Death Eater screaming in front of the house. As I came closer, I was able to identify the two people standing there and trying to stop the fire from destroying the entire house. Well, you couldn’t confuse Hagrid with someone else, there was no one as tall as him. And when I recognized the other person, my heart seemed to stop for a moment.

“Harry, Hagrid!” I shouted and they both turned around to look at me in surprise.

“Sirius, what are ya doin’ here?” Hagrid asked and I stopped in front of them, breathing heavily. It has been a long time since I’d run that fast.

“What happened here? I heard that the Death Eaters were leaving the castle and followed them -“I stopped when I saw the expression on Harry’s face. Something was wrong. Completely wrong. “What’s going on?” My voice was barely a whisper now and I couldn’t help it, but I was beginning to feel afraid.

“I was askin’ myself that too.” Hagrid, who didn’t seem to notice the change of my voice asked, and looked at Harry. “I jus’ saw them Death Eaters runnin’ down from the castle, but what the ruddy hell was Snape doin’ with ‘em? Where’s he gone – was he chasin’ ‘em?”

“He…” Harry started and I could see that it was taking a great effort of him to go on. He cleared his throat and looked from Hagrid to me with a helpless expression on his face. “He killed…” He started again, but Hagrid interrupted him.

“Killed?” He said loudly and now I knew what was going on. “Snape killed? What d’ya mean, Harry?”

“He killed Dumbledore, didn’t he?” I whispered and stared at Harry with wide eyes. We all knew that something had happened on that Tower, something terrible. But now that I thought of it again… I wanted that Harry just shook his head and said that there was a mistake. That I was wrong. That Snape didn’t…

Harry turned to look at me and now my heart really stopped beating. Snape killed Dumbledore. Dumbledore, who always seemed unbeatable. Who was always there when we needed him. Albus…

“Don’ say that.” Hagrid growled and took a step towards Harry and me. “Snape kill Dumbledore – don’ be stupid, Sirius. That can’ have happened.”

“I saw it happen.” Harry said slowly, his voice emotionless.

“Yeh couldn’ have.”

“I saw it, Hagrid.” Harry repeated and now he turned so that Hagrid wasn’t able to see his face anymore. So that he wouldn’t see the despair and the grief in his eyes. Dumbledore, who had meant so much to him.

I took a step forward and hugged my godson tightly. I heard him sobbing at my shoulder and shot Hagrid a warning look. If he dared to say one more word about it…

“We should go back to the castle.” I whispered and felt Harry nod.

Slowly, we made our way towards the castle again, none of us speaking. We were all lost in our own thoughts. My back was still hurting from where I hit the ground earlier in the battle, but I didn’t care about that right now. Dumbledore was dead… It was the only thing which I could think of right now. I still couldn’t believe it.

The front doors of the castle stood open and slowly, a few people dared to make their way outside. I saw many nervous faces and I knew that they were still looking for the Death Eaters. But they were gone. And together with them Snape, whom Dumbledore had trusted.

With horror, I realized what had happened when Harry began to move towards the foot of Hogwarts’ tallest tower – the one on which he and Dumbledore had arrived when they got back to the castle.

I knew that Hagrid was talking next to me, asking what all the people were looking at and why there was the Mark above the Tower. However, I didn’t really hear him. I was – just like Harry – walking towards the figure that was lying in the grass.

Dumbledore’s eyes were closed, but his arms and legs were distorted horribly. Otherwise, you could think that he was sleeping.

Harry knelt down next to him, but I remained standing. This was something between the two of them. I couldn’t explain it, but getting closer would feel like interrupting a moment of privacy. One last goodbye between Harry and Albus Dumbledore, who’d meant so much to him.

Someone touched my shoulder, but I didn’t flinch. I had already recognized her steps among all the others. When I turned around, I saw that Hermione was crying. I hadn’t expected anything else after the previous events. And I was crying too, wasn’t I? Why should I hide it from her?

I took her into my arms, not caring about all the other people around us. And just now, I realized how relieved I was that she was all right. And according to the way she was shaking in my arms, she must have felt the same way about me.

It wasn’t the right time for words. We would have enough of it to explain what exactly had happened later. Right now, we could just be there for each other.

From the corner of my eyes I saw Harry getting something out of his pocket. It looked like a golden locked and strangely familiar. But I must have imagined that. After everything that had happened today…

My eyes wandered to Dumbledore again and I found myself asking what had happened once more. Then I closed my eyes and wished that everything would have ended differently.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon, the chapters will get longer! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

I closed my eyes when I saw the wounds on Bill's face. It was hard to believe what had happened to him. What Greyback did. It wasn’t sure if the wounds could be healed completely, I knew that. Even if Greyback hadn’t transformed. Remus knew that too, I could see it from the expression on his face when I turned to look at him.

Next to me, Hermione was still crying. I had my arm wrapped around her shoulders and she was holding onto my jacket as if it could make her forget everything.

We had stayed outside for a long time before Hermione had asked me with a pleading look if we could go into the castle again. With one last look at Harry, who was still kneeling in front of Dumbledore, I had nodded and we made our way to the hospital wing. Harry would follow us later, but then it had seemed right to me to let him stay there.

In the hospital wing, we had found the badly injured Bill, together with Ron, Luna, Tonks and Remus. They had looked at us questioningly, however we didn’t answer any of their questions. First, we wanted to see Bill.

Now that we were here, I didn’t know if I even wanted to tell them what happened. But wouldn’t they find it out sooner or later anyway?

“He’ll never be the same again, will he?” Hermione’s voice wasn’t much more than a whisper, but it seemed to fill the entire room. Slowly, the others turned away from Bill's injured face to look at us.

“I can’t close the wounds completely, if you mean that.” Madam Pomfrey said and even if I knew it, my heart sank. “No charm will work on these. I’ve tried everything I know, but there is no cure for werewolf bites.”

“But he wasn’t bitten at the full moon.” Ron cut in. He was staring at his brother’s face as though he could somehow force him to heal and wake up. “Greyback was still in his human form, so surely Bill won’t be a – a real –?”

“A real werewolf?” Remus asked when Ron looked at him uncertainly. “No, I don’t think so. But that doesn’t mean that there won’t be some contamination. Those wounds are cursed. It is unlikely that they will heal completely and it might be possible that Bill – that he might have some wolfish characteristics from now on.” He grimaced and I knew what pain it caused my friend to see Bill lying there like this. There was nothing worse for Remus than to see when one of 'his kind', how he liked to call it, let out his anger on innocent people.

“Dumbledore might know something that’d work, though.” Ron said thoughtfully and next to me, Hermione made a pained sound.

“Don’t.” She murmured and began to cry again. Now the others really wanted to know what had happened since they all looked at me curiously.

“He can’t help Bill.” I said and my voice sounded hoarse.

“What do you mean by that, Sirius? Of course Dumbledore can -“ Ron began, but I raised my hand to make him fall silent again.

“No Ron, he can’t help Bill. Not anymore. And he’ll never be able to help anyone again.” I swallowed. Could I really say it once more? The horrible truth?

Suddenly, the doors of the hospital wing opened and Ginny and Harry entered the room. They were both looking shocked and I could see that they both had been crying. After my words and this sight, the others looked even more alerted.

“What’s going on here?” Remus asked quietly and looked from Harry and Ginny to me and back again.

“Dumbledore – he’s dead.” I said and looked into Remus’ eyes.

“No!” He cried and looked wildly from me to Harry, hoping that he would tell him that I was wrong, but when Harry didn’t say anything, Remus collapsed into a chair beside Bill’s bed, his hands over his face. It had been a long time since I saw Remus losing control like that. The last time had been when we were told that Voldemort was chasing Lily and James. Slowly, I stood up. With an apologetic look to Hermione, I made my way towards Remus and placed a hand on his shoulder. He seemed to be grateful for that since he relaxed just a little bit.

On the other side of the bed, I saw Harry and Ron exchanging looks. When my godson shook his head, Ron’s hands grasped the back of Hermione’s chair and it looked as if it was the only think keeping him on his legs right now.

“How did he die?” Whispered Tonks. “How did it happen?”

“Snape killed him.” Harry said. “I was there, I saw it. We arrived back on the Astronomy Tower because that’s where we’ve seen the Mark… Dumbledore was ill, he was weak, but I think he realized it was a trap when we heard footsteps running up the stairs. He immobilized me, I was under the Invisibility Cloak, so I couldn’t do anything. And then Malfoy came and he disarmed Dumbledore –“ He stopped, not able to go on for a few moments.

I saw Hermione covering her mouth with her hands. Ron groaned and Luna looked as if she was going to burst into tears.

“More Death Eaters arrived – they wanted Draco to kill Dumbledore. But he couldn’t do it and then – then Snape arrived. And he did it. The Avada Kedavra.”

Madam Pomfrey began to cry loudly. No one paid attention to her except for Ginny, who took her hands and whispered calming words into her ear.

And then we all heard it. Somewhere outside the castle, a phoenix was singing. It was a sad song, but somehow it was also terribly beautiful. I couldn’t tell how long we all just stood there, listening to Fawkes who expressed his grief in such a catching way. And then the doors of the hospital opened again and Minerva McGonagall entered. She looked terrible, with blood and many scratches on her face, her robes ripped.

“Molly and Arthur are on their way.” She said and stopped right in front of Harry. “What happened on that Tower, Harry? Hagrid told me that you were there with Professor Dumbledore when he – when it happened. He says Professor Snape was involved somehow – “

“Snape killed Dumbledore.” Harry said calmly and even though I couldn’t see her face anymore, I knew that Minerva stared at him in shock. She took a step back just to fall down onto the chair next to Hermione.

“Snape.” She repeated weakly and I heard the shock about that news in her voice. “Snape, whom he trusted… always… never wanted to hear a word against him… I can’t believe it…”

“Snape was a highly accomplished Occlumens.” Remus said and his voice wasn’t more than a growl. “We always knew that.”

But Dumbledore knew that as well, I thought. And he was one of the best Legilimens of our time. So he would have known if Snape had planned something against him, wouldn’t he? Why didn’t all those things fit together? There had to be something we didn’t know.

When I saw Hermione’s expression across the bed, I knew that she was having similar thoughts. She noticed that I was looking at her and raised her eyebrows, asking silently if I believed that Snape had just turned evil. I shook my head quickly and hoped that no one else would notice. Of course we would have to talk about it with Harry and Ron, but I already knew what they would say. And as much as I hated Snape and wanted to curse him, I doubted that Dumbledore would have let him stay if he wasn’t trustworthy.

“But Dumbledore swore he was on our side!” Tonks whispered. “I always thought that Dumbledore knew something about Snape that we didn’t…”

“He always said that he had a good reason for trusting Snape.” Minerva muttered and I nodded. He’d told me that too, many times. “I mean, we all had our doubts because of Snape’s history. And many people began to wonder when Dumbledore… He would never hear a word against him…” She shook her head, looking more confused than ever.

“I’d love to know what Snape told him to convince him.” Said Tonks and I saw others nodding fiercely.

“I know.” Harry said, which caught me by surprise.

“You know what he said?” Ron asked and raised his eyebrows.

“Snape passed Voldemort the information that made him hunt down my parents. After they were dead, Snape told Dumbledore that he felt sorry for what he’d done and that he really regretted it.”

“And he believed that?” Remus cried and jumped to his feet again. “Snape hated James, so why would Dumbledore believe that he was sorry for his death?”

“Dumbledore always believed that there was something good in everyone.” I muttered and my mind was racing. How could all this fit together? Of course Harry had told me why Dumbledore trusted Snape and I even had heard it from the headmaster himself, but that didn’t explain the events of this night. Or did it? Was it all planned? It couldn’t be, Dumbledore wouldn’t have wanted it to come to this…

While I was lost in thoughts, I barely noticed that the others told Harry what had happened in his absence. It seemed like only a few seconds had passed until the doors of the hospital wing burst open once more. Like all the others, I jumped in surprise and couldn’t do anything else than to go out of the way when Molly, Arthur and Fleur ran to Bill’s bed. When I looked around, I saw that Remus and Tonks had to go back as well and now the three of us were standing a little apart from the others.

“Why have you been so silent, Padfoot?” Remus asked quietly and I raised my eyebrows at him. He noticed everything, didn’t he?

“Oh it’s nothing.” I murmured in the hope that he wouldn’t ask any more questions. “I just can’t believe that Dumbledore is dead…”

“Come on, it’s not just that. I've known you for years, Sirius. What were you thinking? You didn’t seem surprised when Harry said that Snape told Dumbledore he regretted his actions.”

With a sigh, I nodded. “I’ve talked about it with Albus as well.” I admitted and Remus looked surprised. “And somehow, it doesn’t fit, you know what I mean? Dumbledore trusted Snape in everything, he never had doubts about his loyalties. And tonight, Snape just kills him and goes with the Death Eaters. Was Dumbledore wrong all the time? Did he make a mistake in trusting Severus Snape? I can’t believe that Dumbledore would make a mistake as big as that. There has to be something else, but I can’t see it yet.”

“Who are you?” Remus shook his head. “You _hated_ Snape since you first saw him. And now you can’t believe that he betrayed Dumbledore? Hermione must be influencing you very much.” 

“Well, I - Maybe that’s true, but that isn’t the point right now, Moony.” I repeated. “I don’t believe that Dumbledore -“

“Made such a big mistake.” He finished my sentence and I couldn’t stop myself from rolling my eyes. “I know, we all believed that Dumbledore knew what he was doing. But we’ll never know what happened between him and Snape, will we? I think we should focus on other things first. We’ve already got enough problems without thinking about the loyalties of Severus Snape.”

With that, he turned around to face the others again and when I followed his gaze, I froze in surprise. Next to an injured Bill in his bed, Fleur and Molly were hugging each other tightly and cried. And I had to repeat it, Molly and Fleur, who always seemed to hate each other, were hugging each other. How did this happen?

“You see!” Said a voice behind my back and I turned around again to face an angry-looking Tonks. “She still wants to marry him, even though he’s been bitten! She doesn’t care!”

“It’s different!” Remus shot back immediately and I could see the tension in his body. Now almost everyone in the room was looking at them. “Bill will never be a full werewolf. It is completely different - “

“But I don’t care! I’ve told you a million times…”

As they continued arguing, Hermione stepped next to me and took my hand. We looked into each other’s eyes and I really couldn’t understand why Remus was still arguing with her. We had already talked about this months ago and he was still struggling with his relationship with Tonks. And they really didn’t have to complain about age differences or anything like that.

Wouldn’t Dumbledore have been happy if there was a little more love in the world?


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only now that I'm reading and editing this story again, I realize how difficult and easy at the same time it has been to include Sirius in the plot. Please let me know what you think so far! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

Hermione, Ron and I were sitting in the Room of Requirement, waiting for Harry to come back from talking to the teachers in Dumbledore’s office. It was no secret what they were talking about. Everyone knew that Hogwarts’ future was uncertain, now that Dumbledore was dead. And someone had to decide what they were going to do now.

First, we had wanted to go to the Gryffindor common room, but it was so crowded that it wasn’t possible to say something without being overheard by others. That’s why we had decided to come here. I hoped that Harry would find us as soon as he saw that we weren’t at Gryffindor Tower.

None of us spoke and I didn’t complain. Right now, a little silence was welcome to me. There had been too many horrible incidents today that I just wanted to go to sleep and forget everything. But what use would that bring? Tomorrow when I woke up, I would have to face it again either way.

Suddenly, the door opened and a tired-looking Harry entered the room. He had dark rings under his eyes and I knew that they didn’t just come from his grief. His journey with Dumbledore had exhausted him as well and I would have liked to ask where they had gone, but it wasn’t the right moment. If he wanted to tell us what happened by himself, it was fine, but I didn’t want to force him to do anything. Next to me, Hermione sat up and looked at Harry silently. She had stopped crying some time ago and I didn’t know if this was good or bad. 

“They’re talking about closing the school.” Harry said and now Ron stared at him as well.

“Lupin said they would.” Ron murmured and for some time, none of us spoke. Slowly, Harry went to the last free armchair and sat down.

“They don’t have much of a choice, do they?” Whispered Hermione and I sighed. “I mean, after Dumbledore…”

“Of course they still have a choice.” I argued and Harry nodded silently. “What would happen to all the students if they closed the school? It’s going to be dangerous everywhere, so why shouldn’t they be allowed to come back? And even if Dumbledore isn’t here anymore, the school is not defenseless.”

“I said that as well,” Harry began, “and some of the teachers agreed with me, but others didn’t want to hear a single word about it.”

“Slughorn, I suppose?” Ron asked and when Harry nodded, his lips twitched. “I always knew that he was afraid of the Death Eaters and that stuff, but _closing Hogwarts_? Is he completely insane?” 

“It’s not a surprise that people are afraid, Ron.” Hermione shook her head. “What would you do if you had a family and children? Send them to school, not knowing if they’re okay or not, or keeping them at home, where you think it’s safe?”

Ron looked at her in silence before he turned to Harry again. “So?” He asked and raised his eyebrows. “Did you find one? Did you get it? A Horcrux?”

Harry shook his head and now I stared at him blankly. “But I thought you got it!” I said and we all winced at the loud tone of my voice. “You had a locket outside in the yard.”

“It’s a fake.” Harry said and pulled the locket from his pocket, opened it and passed it to me. Hermione and Ron moved closer so that they also could see what was written in it.

_To the Dark Lord._

_I know I will be dead long before you read this_

_But I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret._

_I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can._

_I face death in the hope that when you meet your match,_

_You will be mortal once more._

_R.A.B._

“R.A.B.” Ron murmured, “but who was that?”

Harry shrugged his shoulders. “No idea.”

“Oh no.” I murmured, reading the text over and over again. I knew that handwriting. And the initials were painfully familiar to me.

“Sirius, what is it?” Hermione asked, sounding worried, but I just shook my head.

“That can’t be true…” I repeated it many times, not noticing that Harry and Ron were looking at me alerted and were asking what was wrong. Hermione touched my arm carefully. I barely felt it. So this was the big secret he was making before he vanished. He didn't get cold feet as everyone said. He had found out Voldemort’s biggest secret and wanted to… to make it possible to kill him in the end. But how could everyone have been so wrong about him? And why the hell did he change his mind?

My head was spinning and I couldn’t get a clear thought anymore. Why? Why had this all - and suddenly I realized it. When Harry had taken the locket out in the yard, in front of Dumbledore’s body, it had looked familiar to me. And now I also knew why.

“Sirius?” Now Harry was shaking my arm, trying to get me to look at him again. “Sirius, what’s wrong?”

“Harry…” Hermione said warningly, but he didn’t stop.

And suddenly, everything became clear again. I jumped to my feet, which made Harry and Hermione jump back in shock. Ignoring it, I began to walk through the room restlessly.

“What’s going on?” Harry asked again and I stopped immediately.

“R.A.B.” I said and now the others, who looked as if they wanted to say more, looked at me with wide eyes. “I know who that is.”

“You know it?” Ron asked loudly and when I nodded, his mouth fell open.

“I can’t explain why he replaced the locket, but I know exactly who took it. And I might also know where it is.”

“What?” The others cried at the same time and exchanged looks.

“But who is it? And how do you even know all this? And where is it?” Harry asked quickly and now he was the one running through the room restlessly.

“How I know all this? Well, I am related to him.”

Hermione, who was the only one who’d stayed relatively calm at my words, stared at me wide eyed. “Related? But how - “

“You know I’ve got a big family.” I cut in and sighed. “Unfortunately, he’s not even a distant relative.” I paused again. “He’s my brother. Regulus Arcturus Black.”

“What?” Harry, who had stopped right next to me, asked in a low voice. “Your brother? But I thought he was a Death Eater.“

“Didn’t they say that he changed his mind and they killed him for that?” Hermione asked and I nodded.

“That’s the story we’ve been told.” I agreed and ran a hand through my hair.

“So how can he have found out about the Horcruxes?”

I shrugged. “That’s what we’ve got to find out.”

“And where will we start?”

“Why don’t we start at the place where it all began?” I asked back and Hermione didn’t seem to understand what I meant. “Grimmauld Place.”

“Wait, when you mention that now, Dumbledore was Secret Keeper, right?” Harry cut in and I saw that his mind was racing.

I nodded.

“And now that he’s dead – aren’t we all Secret Keepers now?”

“You’re thinking about Snape.” I concluded and my godson nodded.

“Won’t he be able to give the secret to other Death Eaters? Because if he can do it and we want to go there again…”

“You don’t have to worry about that.” I said calmly and Ron and Hermione, who had become uneasy as well, were looking at me questioningly. I couldn’t stop myself from letting out a short laugh. “Do you really think that I have forgotten that? That I wouldn’t make sure that my house is safe, even if one of the Secret Keepers is an enemy? As soon as I realized that Dumbledore was dead, I contacted Mad-Eye, who was at Grimmauld Place at that time and together with some other members of the Order, they set up spells against Snape there. He won’t be able to speak of the house anymore and he can’t get in.”

“But is it safe to keep using it as a headquarter?” Hermione asked anxiously and I hesitated.

“Probably not.” I said slowly and thought of the message Mad-Eye had sent me after he’d made sure that Snape couldn’t cause any damage. “They’re evacuating right now, just in case that Snape might try to get in.”

“But then we can’t…”

“Don’t worry about that, we still can get in and according to the others, it’s safe.” I repeated and tried to look reassuring.

“So why don’t we do it now?” Harry asked and now Ron, Hermione and me were staring at him. “We know where the Horcrux could be, so why don’t we just start to search for it?”

“But what about Dumbledore’s funeral?” Hermione asked and I couldn’t do anything else than to agree with her that it was best to wait for a few more days.

“The funeral?” Harry asked, bewildered.

“He’ll be buried here at Hogwarts.” I explained and now he looked uncertain.

“But the locket…”

“If it’s still there, it will also be in a few days.”

“And if it won’t be there anymore? What if Snape - “

“Oh come on, Harry. Do you really think that Snape would take something like that?” Ron asked and shook his head. “Even we thought that it was useless, back then.”

“But then -“

“If it’s not there anymore, we can’t do anything about it. Then we’ll have to get it back somehow.” I remarked and Harry looked angry.

“But can’t we just go there after the funeral and look for it?”

With a sigh, I nodded. “I can do that.” I agreed and when Harry opened his mouth to speak again, I narrowed my eyes at him and crossed my arms. “You won’t come with me, Harry. You have to go back to your aunt and uncle’s, remember?”

“But - “

“Dumbledore wanted you to go back, Harry.” Hermione said and crossed her arms as well. “You _have_ to go back. Otherwise the protection of your mother -“

“Will break before I turn seventeen, I know.” Harry growled and sat down again, looking annoyed.

“You don’t have to worry, I’ll see if it’s still there.” I assured him again and the others looked satisfied. However, I couldn’t stop the voice in my head that asked me what we would do if the locket wasn’t there anymore. After all, it was among all those things we decided to throw away.

Next to me, Hermione yawned. “We should go to bed, shouldn’t we?” She asked and we all nodded. It has been a long and exhausting day and I doubted that the next ones would be much different.


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

The next morning, I woke up early. Bad dreams had followed me through my sleep, images from Death Eaters fighting in the corridors of the school, Snape telling us that we should look after Professor Flitwick while he went to search for the intruders and Dumbledore lying at the foot of the Astronomy Tower.

I had to distract myself. I put on some clothes quickly and left the girl’s dormitory. As I had expected, the common room was still empty. Even Sirius wasn’t there and normally, he was up before everyone else left their beds. Or was he at a meeting with the other members of the Order? After all, they had to decide what they were going to do now as well.

With a sigh, I left the common room and went to the library. The castle was still empty and it was strange to walk through the silent corridors. Yesterday, it had been so noisy… I avoided walking through the passageways where the battle had taken place. I couldn’t be sure that it was already cleaned again and seeing it right now would bring back all the dark thoughts.

In the library, I began to search for old newspaper articles. The ones from the time when Sirius and his brother had been young. However, I wasn’t very successful. I found an article about the Quidditch teams of Hogwarts where Regulus’ name was mentioned. And an article about him being missing. But nothing else. A few times, I saw familiar names, Harry’s mother, for example, or a parent from one of our friends here at Hogwarts. But it was not what I wanted to find.

With a sigh, I grabbed some older newspapers and looked through them for some time when something caught my attention. “Eileen Prince…” I muttered, reading the article in the old  _Prophet_ . “And Tobias  _Snape_ … Snape. Prince. The Half-Blood Prince.” I closed my eyes for a few moments, however I didn’t feel the usual satisfaction about being right. 

* * *

When I entered the Great Hall for breakfast, I saw Harry and Ron sitting there, both looking unhappy. “Good morning.” I greeted them slowly and sat down next to them.

“Where have you been?” Ron asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Library.” I said and Ron shook his head.

“And why were you in the library this early?”

“I needed some distraction.” I explained and Harry looked as if he understood what I meant very well.

“And what did you search for?” He asked and I was grateful for that question. Ron never seemed to understand what use you could make of books.

“I wanted to know if I could find out something about Regulus Black. However, there wasn’t much to see. Just an old article about him being in the Quidditch team of Slytherin.”

“He was in the Quidditch team?” Ron asked in a surprised tone and I nodded.

“But that doesn’t explain any of his actions later, does it?” I asked and now Ron didn’t know what to say anymore.

“But I found something else.” Now that I wanted to tell them, I wasn’t sure anymore if it was such a good idea. After the events of the previous evening…

“What is it?” Harry asked and looked at me curiously.

“Well, it’s about… Snape.” My voice wasn’t much more than a whisper and Harry’s face darkened.

“What about him?” He asked slowly, sounding tired.

“Well, it’s just that I was sort of right about the Half-Blood Prince business…” I said hesitantly and Harry sighed.

“Do you really have to talk about this now? What do you think how I feel about it?”

“No, it’s not that, Harry!” I said quickly. “It’s just that I was right about Eileen Prince owning the book. You see… she was Snape’s mother. I found an old announcement about her marrying a man called Tobias Snape.”

“And together, they produced a murderer…” Harry murmured darkly and I swallowed.

“Well, yes. So… I was sort of right. Tobias Snape was a Muggle, so Snape must have been proud of being 'half a Prince'.”

“Yeah, that fits…” Harry said and when he didn’t continue anymore, I dropped the subject as well. I knew that he was thinking about that book and that Snape knew that he had it all the time. Well, at least after he’d used _Sectumsempra_ against Malfoy…

“What I wanted to ask you even before you started with that whole library stuff…” Harry began after a few minutes. “Where’s Sirius?”

I looked up from my breakfast again. “I thought you knew where he is.”

They both shook their heads. “He was up really early and I woke when he left the dormitory. I asked where he was going, but he just muttered something about meeting some members of the Order.” Ron told them and I nodded. So I had been right about this as well.

“I think they’re discussing the future of the Order.” I said quietly and Ron made a face.

“There’s nothing to discuss, is there? Now that Dumbledore’s gone… they have to go on, don’t they?” He asked and I nodded.

“Who knows what would happen without them…” Harry muttered and I closed my eyes.

“Don’t say that.”

* * *

Sirius

“You have to tell us what Dumbledore wanted you to do, Sirius.” Remus said and I sighed. He had said that so often in the last hour that I had stopped counting.

“I’ve already told you that he didn’t want us to tell anyone.” I argued and shook my head.

We were sitting in the Hog’s Head in a little chamber right under the roof and every member of the Order who could come was there. Aberforth hadn’t been happy about so many people turning up here since we first expected to be only a couple of members.

“But Dumbledore is dead and maybe it is important for us to know what you are planning to do after Harry turns seventeen.” Mad-Eye growled in his usual tone and looked at me reproachfully.

“I can’t. And even _if_ we would decide to tell you all, it wouldn’t be my job to do it.” 

“Harry will never tell us what Dumbledore told him to do. And Hermione and Ron will keep quiet as well. You know that, Sirius.” Arthur threw in and I saw the worry in his eyes. After all, we were talking about his son.

“And why do you think that I would tell you anything?” I raised my eyebrows and now everyone avoided looking into my eyes.

“You are going with them.” Remus said slowly and I nodded.

“Of course I do! Dumbledore wanted me to and someone has to take care of them.”

“And why not the whole Order? Why just you? And don’t come me with the fact that you’re Harry’s godfather. That doesn’t give you the only right to go with them.” I was surprised at the harsh tone in Remus’ voice.

“Don’t you think that I can look after them well enough?” I asked and couldn’t stop my voice from sounding like a growl.

“You can look after them, yes. But why don’t you accept our help? Wouldn’t the protection of the Order be much better than the four of you being out on your own?” Arthur tried again, but before I could say anything else, Mad-Eye held up his hand and shot us all a warning look, his magical eye scanning us all.

“If Dumbledore didn’t want them to tell us, we should just let them do what they have to do.” Kingsley said loudly and even if he didn’t seem to be happy about not knowing what was going on, Mad-Eye nodded. “I trust Albus, he’s never lead us the wrong way.”

I looked at him gratefully and a smile appeared on Kingsley’s lips.

“We have to let them fulfill their task, Remus. I’m sure that Dumbledore knew what he was doing.” He said and Remus didn’t say anything for a while, considering if he should still argue or if it was best to remain silent and accept the fact that he couldn’t do anything about it.

“Well… but what if -“

“You have to trust us about this, Moony.” I cut in and tried to look calming. “We know how dangerous it will be and we all know how to defend ourselves. I’m sure nothing bad will happen.” This was a lie, but I hoped he didn’t notice it. However, Remus used to notice everything…


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

After the meeting with the Order, I found Harry, Ron and Hermione outside the castle, sitting at the lake under a tree. They turned around when they heard my footsteps and I smiled at them.

“Sirius, where have you been?” Hermione asked when she wrapped her arms around my shoulders and kissed me quickly. “We’ve been looking for you.”

“And when we couldn’t find you, we decided to go outside since the weather is so good.” Ron added and closed his eyes, lying back in the grass.

“I’ve been at Hogsmeade.” I told them and looked around to see if someone could hear us. There were a few students who hadn’t left Hogwarts yet, but they were all far away. “There’s been a meeting with the Order.”

Both Harry and Hermione looked at me attentively and even Ron sat up again. “We’ve thought something like that.” Harry admitted and I grinned.

“There’s nothing I can hide from you, is there?” I shook my head and sat down next to Harry.

“Of course there isn’t!” Hermione laughed, sitting down next to me. “We’re your family.”

I smiled, but Ron looked at Hermione questioningly. “So you must have a really big family since you notice everything…”

She rolled her eyes and turned around so that Ron couldn’t see the face she was making towards Harry and me. We both had to laugh loudly and for a moment, it seemed as if all those horrible things never happened.

“So what news do the others have?” Harry asked and within a second we were all silent.

“Surprisingly, there aren’t many things to tell.” I said and now they all looked puzzled. “Come on, don’t look at me like that. Most members of the Order want to come to Dumbledore’s funeral tomorrow and of course they’re all sad that he’s dead. And no, we haven’t heard anything of Snape or any other Death Eater.” I added because I already saw that Harry wanted to ask. “And nothing of Voldemort, too.”

“But what have you been talking about then?” Harry sounded frustrated and I knew exactly how he felt. I’ve had that feeling for more than ten years.

“Most of the time, Remus and Arthur wanted to know what Dumbledore wanted us to do and where we are planning to go once you’re seventeen.”

“Wait, my dad wanted to know what we are planning?” Ron cut in and when I nodded, he exchanged a look with Harry and Hermione. “But you didn’t tell them anything, did you?” Now he sounded insecure and somehow, I had the feeling that he was afraid of the reaction of Molly and Arthur when they got to know on what a dangerous journey we would go soon.

“Don’t ask something like that!” Hermione said in a sharp tone and I saw the reproachful expression on her face. “He would never do that!”

“Am I not even allowed to ask anymore?” Ron murmured and crossed his arms, however he looked at me apologetically for a few seconds.

“Don’t argue about that. Of course I didn’t tell them what we’re going to do. Even if they tried to find it out very hard. In the end, Kingsley and Mad-Eye told them to stop asking since they trusted Dumbledore and his plans. They said that they believe that he knew what he was doing. And I don’t think it’s a surprise that all of them want us to be careful.”

“When did we ever do something without being careful?” Harry asked in a light tone and after a few moments of silence, we all had to laugh. It felt really good to hear them laughing again. Sometimes, after everything that had happened, the times when life was easy and we could just be happy seemed to be so far away.

“And what else did you talk about?” Hermione asked and raised her eyebrows.

I smiled at her. Always too curious for her own good, wasn’t she? “The Order will continue to use the Burrow as headquarter. Grimmauld Place should be safe, but we don’t want to take any risks. There is still a little chance that Snape can get in. Remus is going on his secret mission again, now it’s more important than ever that we get information from behind the enemy’s lines. And Mad-Eye already plans your departure from Privet Drive, Harry.” I looked from Hermione to him. “It’s not going to be easy, we fear that it won’t be long until the Ministry will be infiltrated or fall. I hope it’s not happening too soon, but Mad-Eye considers every possible scenario that could happen.”

“How encouraging…” Harry muttered and seemed to be lost in thoughts.

“Do you really think that the Ministry will fall?” Hermione whispered and she sounded scared. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

“Who knows what will happen? Now that Dumbledore’s dead, Voldemort’s most dangerous enemy is gone. Maybe he sees a chance in that and reaches out to get more power… I don’t think that the Ministry would have a chance against Voldemort and the Death Eaters. They’re not ready to defend themselves against such an attack.”

Harry laughed dryly. “That doesn’t surprise you, does it? Of course the Ministry couldn’t stop a takeover by the Death Eaters! If they don’t change very much in their organization and politics, they’ll never be able to do anything against Voldemort.”

“I know that, Harry. And most of the others in the Order know that as well. And that’s why Mad-Eye doesn’t want to take any risks when you leave your aunt and uncle’s house for the last time. We can’t trust the Ministry anymore.”

“But how are we going to get him out then?” Ron asked and I shrugged.

“It’s not decided yet. I think Mad-Eye wants to figure something out by himself and tell us shortly before we’re going to get Harry. It reduces the risk that someone will find out what we’re planning to do.”

“Not a bad idea.” Hermione agreed and for a few moments, we all sat there in silence.

I heard the footsteps first and turned around to see Ginny and Neville walking towards us. Harry, Ron and Hermione followed my gaze and from the corner of my eyes, I saw Harry standing up to go to Ginny.

When they kissed each other, I had to smile. I was proud of being Harry’s godfather. And it was good to see that life was still going on and that there were such simple things as love.


	33. Chapter 33

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

“It’s really over now, isn’t it?” Hermione next to me whispered and I turned around to look at her. Her eyes were still red from crying and I felt sad as well.

I nodded. “Dumbledore’s gone.” I answered just as quietly and sighed. She took a step towards me and wrapped her arms around my shoulders.

“It still seems so unreal. That we won’t see him again.”

I looked over her shoulder to the white tomb at the lake. The funeral was just over and the people were slowly leaving this place. I saw Ron coming towards us, but he didn’t look in our direction. I knew why well enough.

Before Hermione had started talking again, we both had observed Harry, who was walking in circles with Rufus Scrimgeour. I knew exactly why the Minister wanted to talk to my godson, it was the same reason why he’d visited the Burrow at Christmas. He wanted Harry to work with the Ministry, to show the people that their methods were good and that he appreciated them.

There was no way Harry would do that.

And when he and the Minister turned around a little bit, I could see the angry expression on both their faces. Apparently, the conversation wasn’t making Scrimgeour happy.

Ron stopped next to me and for half a second, we exchanged worried looks. After a few more moments, the Minister turned around and started to walk away, towards the rest of the Ministry delegation.

Ron, Hermione and I didn’t hesitate any longer. Quickly, we made our way towards Harry, who turned around to walk in the opposite direction as the Minister. When we passed Scrimgeour, he looked at us angrily, but we ignored him. There was nothing to say anymore.

Harry was waiting for us at the tree under which we had sat the previous day. It seemed to be far away again.

“What did Scrimgeour want?” Hermione whispered and took my hand. I squeezed it.

“Same as he wanted at Christmas.” Harry shrugged. “Wanted me to give him inside information on Dumbledore and be the Ministry’s new poster boy.”

Next to Harry, Ron hesitated and I saw many different feelings in his expression. He looked at Harry silently before he turned to Hermione and me. “Can I go back and hit Percy?!” He asked loudly and we both shook our heads.

“No!” We said at the same time and Ron crossed his arms.

“It would make me feel better!” He argued and I rolled my eyes.

“And what use would it bring to any of us?” I just wanted to go on when Harry started to laugh loudly. I looked at him in surprise and when I saw Hermione grinning as well, I shook my head, feeling a little confused. I was really getting old… Where were the times when I loved laughing in situations like this?

However, the moment didn’t last long. When Hermione looked up at the castle, her smile faded. “I can’t bear the idea that we might never come back.” She said softly and closed her eyes. “How can Hogwarts close?”

I touched her shoulder gently, making her look at me. “Come on, sweetheart. You know it won’t close. There will be people wanting to come back and for them, the teachers have to go on. And what would a world without Hogwarts be like?” I shook my head and grimaced. “That can’t happen!”

“I’m not coming back even if it does reopen.” Harry said behind my back and I turned around slowly. So here it was…

“I knew you were going to say that.” Hermione said and shook her head, looking unhappy. “And you know that we are coming with you.”

“No -“ Harry started, but Ron shook his head angrily.

“We talked about this hundreds of times, Harry. We’re coming with you, so don’t try to make us change our minds now.”

“You said to us once before” Hermione said quietly, “that there was time to turn back if we wanted to. We’ve had time, haven’t we?” She looked at me and now she was the one squeezing my hand. I couldn’t stop myself from smiling at her before I turned to Harry as well. 

“We’re with you whatever happens. You are not alone, Harry. You should know that by now.” When he opened his mouth to argue, I held up my hand. “Don’t try it again. You know it won’t work on us. And why did you even think that you could change our minds? After everything we’ve planned to do and all the things we’ve already found out?”

Now Harry was looking rather helpless and he shrugged. “I had to try…” He murmured and Hermione shook her head slowly while Ron just rolled his eyes.

* * *

“And you’re sure that you want to do this?” I asked and Hermione nodded uneasily.

“It is necessary.” She repeated and the fear in her voice was easy to hear.

I sat down next to her and took her hands. “We don’t have to do this, love.” I whispered, but she shook her head.

“Don’t say that. Not after we’ve come here.”

I took a deep breath. “All right. You don’t have to worry.”

Hermione laughed shakily. “I don’t have to worry when I introduce my boyfriend – who is much older, by the way – to my parents? And when I’m about to erase their memories and make then believe that they never had a daughter and want to go to Australia?”

When I just looked at her silently, she started to cry again. She had done it very often in the past hours. It wasn’t far to her parents’ house anymore and I knew that Hermione was very afraid. But we had decided that it was necessary to make them go away since they knew very much about Harry and the wizarding world. And since Hermione was going with Harry, one of the most wanted wizards in the world, her family would be in danger as well.

I held her while she was crying. To my surprise, it didn’t take long until she had gained control over herself again. “We have to go now. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to do it.” She whispered and we stood up slowly. I reached for my handkerchief so Hermione could wipe away the tears. She took it with a grateful look and I smiled at her for a few seconds.

“I love you.” I said and now she smiled as well.

“I love you too.”

We walked in silence for the rest of the way. I recognized the house immediately. Hermione had described it to me many times and I had to admit that the flowers in the garden were really beautiful. It had been Hermione’s idea to plant them, many years ago when she was younger.

I didn’t have much time to look at the roses and the other flowers in the garden. We were standing at the front door far too soon. “You ready?” Hermione asked and I nodded.

She rang the bell.

First, there was silence inside the house. Even I couldn’t hear anything. But after a few moments, there was the sound of footsteps on the stairs. There was a creaking sound when the key in the door was turned and then the door opened.

Hermione’s mother looked as if she wanted to say something when her eyes fell on her daughter. “Hermione?” She asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

Instead of answering, Hermione took a step forward and hugged her mother tightly. “What are you doing here? I thought you wanted to stay with your friends a little longer!”

When Hermione let go of her mother, she turned to me for the first time. There was confusion in her eyes and before any of us could say something, Hermione took a step back again, so that she was standing next to me now.

“May I introduce Sirius Black to you?” She said politely and smiled.

The expression on her mother’s face told me everything I wanted to know. Of course she had told them something about me.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Black. I’m Jean Granger. Hermione has told us so much about you.”

We shook hands and I smiled as well. “I’m happy to meet you as well, Mrs. Granger.” I said and now she laughed softly.

“Please call me Jean.” She sad and took a few steps back so we could enter the house.

“Only if you call me Sirius.” I shot back immediately and now mother and daughter exchanged looks. Somehow, I had the feeling that Hermione would have loved to say ‘I told you so’ to her mother.

“Please come in, Patrick will be in the living room.” Jean had already vanished in another room, presumably the kitchen. “Patrick dear, we’ve got guests!” She called and when I looked at Hermione, she blushed.

“Who is it, sweetheart?”

“It’s Hermione and there’s someone else with her!”

“Hermione’s here?” Now we heard someone else coming towards us quickly and before we knew what happened, Hermione’s father was running towards her and hugged her tightly. “You’re back!” He said happily and grinned. “I’ve missed you! How has school been?” It seemed as if he had a thousand more questions, but then his eyes fell on me.

“Oh I’m sorry, I’m being impolite.” He cleared his throat. “Patrick Granger. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr…?”

“Black.” I said, shaking his hand. “Sirius Black. And the pleasure is all mine. Hermione has told me so much about you.”

“Only the good things, I hope.” Patrick laughed and looked at his daughter again. “So, you two…?” He didn’t finish the sentence, but we both knew what he meant. I saw Hermione looking at me, her eyes wide with surprise.

“What? But how…?” Completely confused, she let herself sink back against a wall.

“Oh come on, don’t think we’re stupid. We’ve seen how you’ve been talking about him the previous holidays and all your letters seemed to say that you like him very much.”

“So you don’t…”

“We don’t what?” Jean was coming back into the hall, raising her eyebrows at us. “Why are you still standing here? Go into the living room and sit down there! I’ll get us some tea.” She was already about to turn around when she stopped once more. “And no, we don’t think that it’s a bad thing.”

Patrick had already started to walk towards the living room, which left Hermione and me alone in the hall. “What the hell just happened?” I asked and raised an eyebrow, but she just shook her head.

“Who on earth has confunded my parents?”

“Didn’t you say that they would never like it and that we would have to tell them very slowly what was going on?”

She nodded. “I thought so too… I don’t know what happened to them. Really. Normally they’re not that…”

“Hectically?” I tried and she nodded.

“Well… yes.”

I took a deep breath. “We should go, shouldn’t we?”

She nodded. “And we can’t stay too long. Otherwise, I don’t think that I can make them forget everything.”

* * *

To my surprise, Hermione’s parents didn’t mention our relationship again. They talked to me as if I just was one of Hermione’s best friends. However, I didn’t have to say very much. Most of the time, Hermione told them what had happened the previous year. She mentioned many things I had nearly forgotten – the Apparation lessons, Harry and the Quidditch matches, many things she’d learned in the lessons and how Ron’s family and everyone else was.

I didn’t expect her to say anything about Dumbledore and his death. Or about the Death Eaters and how they slowly infiltrated the Ministry. And Hermione really kept silent about those things. I knew that she had never told her parents the worst of everything, but somehow, I had thought that she would mention how bad everything is just a little bit… However, she didn’t.

And when we stood up and said goodbye to her parents several hours later, she hadn’t said anything at all about it.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Sirius. And we both hope you will come and visit us again. It was a very nice evening.” Patrick shook my hand and I smiled at him.

“I would love to come back, I really enjoyed it here.”

Now he turned to his daughter and they hugged each other tightly. In the meantime, Jean said goodbye to me. When Patrick finally let go of Hermione, Jean wrapped her arms around her. “I’m going to miss you so much, Hermione! It’s so sad that you can’t already stay here.”

“I would love to do it, mum. Really. But we’ve got a few things to do before that’s possible. But it won’t take long, I promise.” When they finally let go, Hermione made a strange gesture with her hand.

And that was the moment when I took out my wand and pointed with it at her parents.

* * *

“Why does it hurt so much?” Hermione whispered and her body shook again. We were sitting on the same bench we had sat down after arriving in the neighborhood. It seemed to be days ago.

“Come on, everything’s fine, Hermione.” I said softly and wrapped my arms around her when she sobbed again.

“I’m sorry. I knew it was necessary, but either way…” She shook her head and I wiped away some of her tears.

“They’re going to be safe now. And once all this is over, we’ll find them and give them their memories back.”

We sat there in silence until it started to get dark slowly. “Hermione, we have to go…” I began hesitantly and when she looked up, I saw that she had stopped crying.

“Yeah, we’ve got many things to do, haven’t we?”

I nodded. Slowly, I stood up and held out a hand to help her. “They’ll be fine.” I whispered and Hermione wrapped her arms around my waist.

“Thank you for coming with me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that.” I replied with a small smile on my lips.

“I love you, Sirius.”

“Love you too, Hermione.”

With that, we disapparated.


	34. Chapter 34

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The Burrow wasn’t as empty as we had expected. When Arthur opened the door for us, it seemed as if most of the Order was there. I exchanged a look with Hermione, whose eyes were still a little red from crying and she shrugged her shoulders. No one has told us that there would be a meeting.

“Finally you’re here! We’ve been waiting for you!” Tonks called out and when I turned around to look at her, I saw her and Remus standing in the kitchen door, holding hands.

“Oh my god, you’re together now?” Hermione asked and a smile appeared on both of their faces.

Remus just wanted to reply something when Mad-Eye appeared behind him and Tonks. “You can congratulate them later.” He barked and Remus and Tonks got out of the way quickly. “Where have you been? We thought you would be here so we could start with the meeting right away, but when we arrived, Molly and Arthur just told us that you had vanished this morning without telling anyone where you wanted to go.”

I raised my eyebrows slowly. “Aren’t we allowed to make our own decisions anymore?” I asked slowly and Mad-Eye growled again.

“These are dangerous times, you know that as well as I do, Sirius. And it’s never a good sign when someone just leaves and doesn’t tell anyone where he goes.” His magical eye scanned Hermione and me many times.

“We haven’t done anything dangerous, if you mean that -“ I started again, but Hermione squeezed my hand and I stopped.

“What’s going on here?” She asked and Mad-Eye held back the comment he wanted to make. “Nobody’s told us that there would be a meeting.”

“Because it wasn’t planned.” Remus said from his place at the door. “We were told that we should come here a few hours ago.”

“So don’t worry, we also don’t know what’s going on exactly. Because Mad-Eye didn’t want to say anything before you two arrived.” Tonks added and winked at Hermione and me.

“Sirius, Hermione, you’re back!” Now Molly came into the kitchen, ignoring the annoyed look on Mad-Eyes face when she hugged first Hermione and then me. “What have you been doing? You didn’t say that you would be out for the entire day.”

“It’s complicated.” I said slowly and when Hermione didn’t look as if she wanted to add anything, Molly made a face and turned around to talk to Remus and Tonks about them staying for dinner.

“If you don’t mind, I would like to start with the meeting now.” Mad-Eye said loudly and one by one, the others came into the kitchen and sat down at the table. There were Molly and Arthur, Ron, Fred and George, Bill, Fleur, Remus, Tonks, Kingsley and to my surprise Hagrid and Mundungus. Ron hugged Hermione and me quickly before he sat down next to us and Fred and George grinned widely.

“Good to see ya again, Sirius!” Hagrid said loudly and I grinned at him.

“I didn’t expect you to be here!”

“Surprised me as well, ya know? Mad-Eye jus’ got me a few hours ago, told me I shall come because it’s important.”

“So what is this all about?” Fred asked with a curious look towards Mad-Eye.

Mad-Eye cleared his throat and now everyone looked at him silently. “As you all know, Harry will turn seventeen soon. The protection from his mother will break on his birthday or when he leaves the house of his aunt and uncle’s for the last time.”

Everyone nodded slowly, to most of us, it wasn’t a secret anymore.

“Unfortunately, the Death Eaters know that as well. I don’t think that they will let the chance to get Harry pass when the spell breaks. It’s up to us now to decide how we’re going to get Harry out of that house safely. There are two possibilities. We could wait until he turns seventeen and move him then, or we could break the spell before that day. In my opinion, the second option will be better. The day Harry turns seventeen is well known also by the Death Eaters and I think they’ll be expecting us to get him out then.”

“So we should get him earlier?” Remus asked and Mad-Eye nodded.

“We could let a wrong information slip so that the Death Eaters think we’re doing it on his birthday.” Kingsley said thoughtfully and some of us nodded in agreement.

“And how are we going to move him when he’s not seventeen? I mean, he’ll still have the trace on him.” Bill cut in and Mad-Eye nodded grimly.

“Another point we have to think about.”

“The Ministry wants to be involved, will it?” I asked and now Mad-Eyes expression turned even darker. I hadn’t thought that it was possible.

“They have already told us that every possible protection will be set upon the house we’ll move Harry to.”

“I don’t trust them.” I growled and next to me, Hermione and Ron nodded darkly.

“There is the possibility that the Death Eaters will infiltrate the Ministry before we’ll be able to get Harry out of that house.” Remus said slowly and I swallowed.

“All very good and right points.” Mad-Eye agreed. “I hope they won’t get into the Ministry before the boy is safe and there is a very small chance that it’s not going to happen by then. And to moving Harry again, the Ministry has already made it more difficult for us.”

“What do you mean by that?” Hermione asked and instead of Mad-Eye, Kingsley answered her question.

“We won’t be able to use a Portkey or the Floo Network.” Kingsley told us. “We were told that it would be too dangerous since these things could be manipulated. However, I don’t believe that. It is more likely that an employee of the Ministry in a high position is under the Imperius Curse.”

“And what will we do then?” I thought it was George who asked the question, but I wasn’t sure.

“Use the things that are left.” I guessed and frowned. “That would be -“

“Brooms and Thestrals.” Mad-Eye finished my sentence before I had the chance to do so.

“But wouldn’t it be too obvious to move Harry with a big escort in the air?” Tonks didn’t seem convinced and I had my doubts as well.

“That’s why I’ve brought Mundungus here.” Mad-Eye explained and when we all looked at him, it seemed as if Mundungus would have loved to run away and never come back. “He came to me yesterday and to my surprise, he had a very good plan.”

“Well, I don wanna be here, ya’ll shall know that…” Mundungus started hesitantly and when Mad-Eye growled impatiently, he winced. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell them! Why don’ we move more than one ‘arry?” When we all looked at him in confusion, he held up his hands as if he wanted to protect himself from us. “We’ll confuse them by movin’ many ‘arrys. Then they don’ know whose the right one.”

“You mean Polyjuice Potion?” I guessed and Mundungus snapped his fingers with a grin.

“That’s it!”

For a few moments, there was silence in the kitchen. I tried to imagine the scenario, many Harry's leaving number 4 Privet Drive at the same time, some on brooms and some on Thestrals. I had to admit that the plan wasn’t so bad.

“Every Harry will be accompanied by someone. We’ll build pairs of two. That would make seven Harry's and seven guards.”

“Fourteen people will be needed?” Remus asked and Mad-Eye nodded again.

“Well, but we are more than fourteen here.” Ron remarked.

“Not everyone here will come with us.”

I frowned and next to me, Hermione raised her eyebrows as well.

“I’ll stay here at the Burrow with Ginny.” Molly explained immediately. “Someone will have to wait here for you all to come back.”

“Wait, just one question in between.” Bill cut in with an apologetic look on his face. “So we’ll have those seven Harry’s and we’ll go in pairs of two. But where will we be going?”

“To seven different houses that will be protected with our own spells and the ones from the Ministry.” Kingsley explained patiently. “They won’t be able to help us moving Harry, but they can make sure that he place we’ll get him to will be safe.”

“And once we’re all at those houses?”

“It will be houses of Order members. And at the moment it seems as if we could place Portkeys there. With their help, we can all meet here again.” Mad-Eye answered and narrowed his eye. “Any more questions?”

“Who else will stay here?” I asked immediately and raised my eyebrows. “Even if Molly will stay at the Burrow, there is still one person too much.”

“I don’ wanna come with ya!” Mundungus said and tried to stand up, but Hagrid grabbed his shoulder and forced him to sit down again.

“You’re coming with us, Mundungus!” Mad-Eye said loudly and shot him an angry look. “And to make sure that you won’t do anything stupid, I’m coming with you!”

“No, but when one ‘as to stay away…”

“It has already been decided who’s going to stay.” Mad-Eye shouted and now Mundungus was silent.

“And who will be that?” Hermione asked slowly, afraid of being shouted at as well. Under the table, I squeezed her hand.

“You.” Mad-Eye said and pointed at me.


	35. Chapter 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

For a few moments, I stared at Mad-Eye in shock.

He couldn’t have said that, could he? Why shouldn’t I be allowed to go with them? At least this was about Harry and he was my godson! I felt myself getting angry and it wasn’t easy to resist the urge to shout at them all right away. No, this wouldn’t help me. I had to stay calm. Maybe there was a mistake… but what if there wasn’t?

I took a deep breath and next to me, I saw that Hermione looked at Mad-Eye speechlessly as well. She was so tensed…

“What do you mean by that?” I asked after a few more moments and it surprised me that my voice sounded so calm. Maybe too calm…

“You won’t come with us when we get Harry.” Mad-Eye repeated and now Hermione moved. She bent forward so that she was able to get a better look at Mad-Eye.

“But why?” The disapproval in her voice was even more surprising than the fact that she didn’t just accept the decision. I knew that I should say something myself, but somehow it seemed as if I was looking at this whole scene from somewhere else.

“He’s a safety risk.” Mad-Eye pointed out and this snapped me back to reality.

“I am _what_?!” Most people at the table jumped when I shouted at him, but right now, I didn’t care. 

“It will be too dangerous if you come with us. We can’t protect the boy then.”

“You think that I’m not able to protect _Harry_?”

“No I didn’t say it like that, I just said that it would be too risky!” Now Mad-Eye was shouting as well. Next to me, Hermione whispered something, but I didn’t listen to her. I was focused on Mad-Eye.

“Why on earth should it be risky? You all are also with him!”

“But when you’re with one of the Harry’s, the Death Eaters will go after you right away! And we all know that the right Harry wouldn’t go with anyone else than you!” Mad-Eye looked at me angrily and I knew that everyone else was just watching us in silence, not knowing what to say.

“And you think I’m risking his safety then?” I barked and it took me some time to realize that I was growling like a dog.

“Yes, you do!”

“What if I go with someone else?” I asked and thought of Hermione.

“Than that person would be in more danger than most others!”

“But this doesn’t make sense!”

“Yes it does! Why don’t you just _shut up and listen to me_?” Mad-Eye stood up and his chair fell to the floor with a loud crash. 

I had just opened my mouth again to argue when Hermione closed her hand around my wrist slowly. I looked at her and when I saw the expression on her face, I closed my mouth again. “Then tell me why I should stay here while others risk their lives.” I spat.

“I already told you everything you have to know. But if our most stubborn Mr. Black can’t listen, I will repeat it again. But just once.” Mad-Eye looked at the chair behind him, but instead of taking it and sitting down again, he remained standing, so that he could look down on us all. “Everyone knows about your close bond to Harry. You’re his godfather and his last living relative. He would do anything for you and it’s well known since the events at the Department of Mysteries. So wouldn’t the Death Eaters think that he’s with you when you go with us?” When no one said anything, Mad-Eye held up two fingers. “There are two people in this room they would expect Harry to be with. And that would be you, Sirius, or me.”

“But if you are going with them -“ I started, but he interrupted me again.

“I will do it, yes. But I won’t take Harry with me. When they go after me first, the boy has a better chance to escape. And that’s what we want. However, if you’ll be there as well, they’ll go after you too. What would happen if you were killed? We all know that you, Hermione and Ron will go with Harry when he wants to fulfill the task Albus has given him. And they need you there, Sirius.”

“Why can Hermione and Ron go?” I asked before he could interrupt me again. When I thought of Hermione going alone, I began to feel sick… Under the table, Hermione squeezed my hand. She wasn’t looking as calm as she wanted, but she managed to smile a little bit. I couldn’t smile back. “Isn’t it too dangerous for them as well?”

“They won’t kill one of the Harry's.” Mad-Eye said simply and I raised my eyebrows at him.

“This is it? They won’t kill them when they look like Harry? I won’t let you put Hermione into danger just because -“

“It would be more dangerous if you were with her! And we all know that you would never go as one of the Harry's!” Mad-Eye shouted to make me shut up again. “You can argue as much as you want, Sirius. We’re not taking you with us! Even if I will have to knock you out before we go and chain you up here!”

Now Hermione shot Mad-Eye an angry look. “You wouldn’t do that!” She said loudly and Mad-Eye looked at her challengingly.

“Why shouldn’t I do it? It’s better for everyone else when he’s not with us!”

“Mad-Eye,” Remus cut in slowly, “do you really think that it is a good idea to let Sirius stay here? Wouldn’t it be better if someone else -“

“The decision has been made, Remus. I won’t change my mind about this. I have thought about it very long and it’s too risky if he’s with us, especially when he looks like himself. They’ll be after him right away, not just for the boy but also because of who he is.”

“Bellatrix.” Tonks guessed and Mad-Eye nodded.

“She would give everything to kill Sirius.” Mad-Eye said simply.

“Or me.” Tonks murmured and next to her, Remus stiffened.

“So why is she allowed to go and I’m not?” I asked again, but no one answered.

“I could take Hermione with me.” I hadn’t noticed that someone had spoken first, but when I looked up, Kingsley was looking at us. “I will protect her for you.”

For half a second, I looked at Hermione. There was an insecure expression on her face. I closed my eyes. They didn’t want me to go with them. They said it would be too risky for Harry. The Death Eaters would expect him to be with me. Bellatrix would be there and she wanted to kill me. The person who would go with me would be in danger as well. I made the chance that someone was killed even bigger than it already was. It was too dangerous. But could I stand waiting at the Burrow while everyone else was risking their lives? Not knowing if someone was killed or not? It was true, I didn't want to go as one of the Harry's. But on the other hand...

“It is our only chance.” Hermione whispered into my ear and I looked at her wide-eyed.

“You can’t say that.” I muttered and couldn’t hide the pain in my voice. “I can’t stand the thought that you will be in danger and that I can’t help you.”

“It would be far more dangerous if you would be there, Sirius. It’s hard to accept, but I think Mad-Eye is right…” She avoided to look me in the eyes and I swallowed. “And Kingsley won’t let anything happen to me.” She added slowly.

I closed my eyes again. I knew that everyone was still looking at me, but I needed a few moments for myself right now.

“Who will go with Harry?” I asked when I finally opened my eyes again. Even Mad-Eye couldn’t hide his surprise at my question. Apparently, he had expected me to shout at them again.

“I’ll do it, if no one’s agains’ it.” Hagrid began slowly and when Mad-Eye just nodded, he seemed to be surprised.

“Then take care of him.” I murmured and I saw many others exchanging looks. Remus seemed to be too shocked to close his mouth. “Don’t stare at me like that, Moony.” I shook my head. “And don’t let something fly into your mouth.”

At the other end of the table, Fred and George laughed softly and my lips twitched.

“What has happened to the Sirius I know?” Remus asked with a frown. “He would have never let others put themselves into danger while he couldn’t go with them.”

I looked at Hermione for a few seconds and sighed. “It seems as if he finally grew up…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I don't know anymore why I didn't let Sirius just go as one of the Harry's, if some of you might ask themselves that question. I wrote this chapter in 2017, I think.


	36. Chapter 36

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

“So you think this plan is really going to work?” Ron asked and I looked up from the book I was skipping through. “The seven Harry's.” He added when I frowned at him without saying anything for a few moments.

“Oh, yes, I don’t think that it’s a bad plan.” I murmured, sounding distracted.

Slowly, Ron raised his eyebrows and I sighed. “Okay, it’s not bad at all.”

“Even if Sirius isn’t allowed to come with us?”

“Yes, even if he has to stay here.” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and closed the book carefully. To be completely honest, I had been thinking about that plan for hours now. Even if I didn’t admit it openly, it bothered me that Sirius couldn’t come with us a lot. I knew that Mad-Eye was right about it being even more risky, but somehow, I just wanted him by my side then. When Sirius was around, I always felt safe. And I was calmer.

However, he had agreed to that plan… And I knew he hated it, probably even more than I did. We didn’t have a chance to talk after the meeting since Remus wanted to have a word with Sirius in private, so I had gone upstairs with Ron to start packing for our journey. It couldn’t be a mistake to be prepared for everything. Even if Harry wasn’t there yet and then we would have to wait until Bill’s and Fleur’s wedding was over. 

I hoped it wouldn’t take too long until Sirius came to Ron’s room as well. Before he had left with Remus, I had told him what we were going to do and he had agreed to meet us here as soon as possible. But with a house full of Order members, it wasn’t always easy to escape from them.

“I don’t believe you.” Ron stated and ripped me out of my thoughts again.

“Excuse me?”

“When you say that it’s a good plan even if Sirius can’t come with us. It bothers you nearly as much as him. Come on, Hermione” He shook his head when I looked at him surprised, “I know you for years now! Don’t think that your expression doesn’t tell me anything. Maybe I’m not as good in reading others as Harry, but this isn’t difficult to tell.”

“I didn’t really try to hide that I don’t like it…” I muttered and now a triumphant grin appeared on Ron’s lips. “Don’t look at me like that! It’s not right to leave him behind. You know how good he is at fighting.”

“Yeah he is, but I believe Mad-Eye and the others when they say that it’s far too dangerous. Bellatrix tried to kill him very hard at the Ministry, so why shouldn’t she try it now as well? And it sounds logical that they would think that Harry’s with Sirius since they’re so close…”

I looked at him in silence for a few moments. However, I couldn’t say anything against those arguments, so I just sighed. “You’re right.” I admitted slowly. “But going without Sirius just feels so… wrong.”

To my surprise, Ron nodded. “I’ve also the feeling that it’s not a good idea to leave him behind, but the whole Order thought that it’s a good plan and Sirius agreed himself… So he can’t just change his mind, can he?”

I sighed again. “No, he’ll not be able to do it.”

“But you don’t have to worry, Hermione. After all, Kingsley is going with you. And he’s really good.”

My lips twitched, though I couldn’t manage a real smile. “Yes, doesn’t seem like I’ll have to worry…”

We both sat there in silence for some time. “What do you think Harry will say? When we arrive there without Sirius?”

“He won’t be happy.” I replied immediately and somehow, I knew that I was right. “Especially when we’re taking Mundungus with us, but Sirius has to stay here with Molly and Ginny...”

“He’ll freak out, won’t he? Not just because of that, but also when we’ll tell him about the Polyjuice Potion and that six of us will turn into him.”

I nodded. “He will hate the idea that we’re getting ourselves in danger for him.”

“As if we weren’t doing that for years by now…” Ron murmured.

“You know how he is, Ron. He’s always been like that and I doubt that it will change someday.”

“I don’t understand why he can’t accept it. That we’re doing all this for him.” Ron took one of the books and opened it. After looking at two or three pages, he closed it and put it back on the pile again. “Why do you want to take that with you?”

“How could he possibly accept it? He thinks that everything that is happening is his fault because he hadn’t stopped Voldemort yet…” I noticed that I didn’t listen to the last thing Ron had said and when I looked at the book, I smiled for half a second. It was _Hogwarts, A History_. “I don’t like the idea of not having it with me.” I admitted quickly and turned away so that Ron wouldn’t see that my cheeks were turning red. I liked that book very much. 

“Why do we even need so many books?” Ron asked and I could hear in his voice that he thought taking books with us was the most unnecessary thing in this world.

“There can always be something we don’t know and since it’s not likely that we can just go and ask someone, it would be good to have books with us in which we can look certain things up.” I explained and turned around to look at him again.

“And you really think that we’ll have that much time to read everything we need to know in a book?” The doubts in his voice were obvious and I would have liked to roll my eyes again. However, I didn’t do it.

“I don’t know. Maybe. It can’t be a mistake to have them with us.” I took my handbag which was laying on the bed and arranged the books next to it.

“And what are you going to do with that? I don’t think that any book will fit into there.” Now Ron was grinning and somehow, I missed that. It wasn’t easy when everyone was always so serious…

I let a superior expression appear on my face and grinned widely. “Let it be my problem. They  _will_ fit in there, believe me.” 

My sudden change of mood surprised Ron and now he was raising his eyebrows in a clueless way. “How will you do that?”

“You’ll see.” I said simply and he just opened his mouth to say anything else when there was a knock on the door and it was opened slowly. Sirius entered the room quickly and closed the door as quietly as possible. After that, he took out his wand and pointed at the door “ _Muffliato._ ” He murmured and grinned at the questioning looks on our faces. 

“These days, we can’t know who might be listening to us.” He explained and I didn’t argue. If Sirius was surprised at my sudden change of mind concerning this spell, he didn’t show it. He just sat down on the bed next to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “How are you feeling?”

I shrugged. “It’s nothing…” I murmured, but he shook his head.

“I know it bothers you that I can’t come with you, Hermione.” He said softly and I sighed. “I don’t like it as well, you can believe me. I would have loved to tell them all to shut up and that I was making my own decisions.”

“Why didn’t you do it?”

He chuckled. “You had expected me to do it, right?”

On the other side of the bed, Ron nodded. “I had waited for it and I knew that Fred and George were waiting as well. After the meeting, I thought that I saw them talking to Bill who said something about a bet.”

Sirius nodded. “He was very satisfied by my reaction. He had bet against the twins that I would stay calm.”

“He did what?” Ron asked and his eyes were wide in surprise. However, Sirius didn’t want to talk about that subject anymore.

“I had to admit to myself that it is better if I don’t come with you…” He hesitated and I nodded at him to go on. “The others were right when they said that I was going to make it even more dangerous. And since it will also be very dangerous without me being there… Don’t get me wrong, I would love to come with you and protect you.”

He wanted to go on, but I put a finger on his lips.

“I understand you.” I whispered and after a few seconds of surprise, Sirius started to relax. “I want you by my side as well, but it wouldn’t just be risky for us, Sirius. You would be in danger as well. And I don’t want that.”

“I can take care of myself -“

“Not if all the Death Eaters go after you at once and you also have to protect someone else at the same time.” I argued and he nodded with a sigh.

“This is going to be one of the worst days of my life.” He muttered and I nodded.

“We’ll get through it. I promise.” I whispered and he closed his eyes, probably to hide the pained expression on his face. I knew that he feared nothing more than the possibility that one of us could get injured or worse.

Suddenly, he tightened the grip around my shoulders and pulled me closer. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it told me everything I needed to know. I smiled at him. “I love you.” I breathed into his ear and before he could say anything else, I leaned back and looked at the door.

“You said that we can’t know who’s listening to our conversations.” I said slowly and raised my eyebrows at Sirius, who had just controlled himself again.

He nodded and now Ron dared to turn around again as well. “Who would listen to us here?”

“The whole Order wants to know what we’re planning to do after the wedding.” Sirius said simply and ran a hand through his hair. “I would have been here earlier if Molly wouldn’t have tried to get information out of me.”

“Wait, _mum_ tried to get information on where we’re going?” Ron asked in unbelief and Sirius nodded. 

“She tried to convince me that it’s too dangerous for you and that we should let the Order fulfill Dumbledore’s task.”

“As if that would be possible!” I said and shook my head.

“She thinks you’re far too young to go out on your own.”

“But we aren’t alone.” Ron cut in. “You’re with us and when we go, we’re all of age.”

I laughed dryly. “I don’t think that it will make a difference to your mother, Ron. To her, we’ll always be children.”

He sat there in silence for a few moments before he nodded. “And what are we going to do about it? I mean, we can’t tell her anything!”

“Of course we can’t tell her about the Horcruxes and that we have to destroy them. Everyone else in the Order would know it as well before we could even say ‘Dumbledore’.” Sirius agreed and frowned. “We have to avoid that subject. I know it won’t be easy when Molly really wants to find out more about it, but we have to try. And when Harry arrives, we have to warn him as well.”

“He won’t say anything.” Ron said immediately and Sirius nodded.

“Just so he knows what’s waiting for him.” He turned to look at me and when he saw the expression on my face, he raised an eyebrow.

“The Horcrux.” I said simply. “You didn’t have a chance to look for it.”

He nodded. “After Dumbledore’s death and the events after it, I didn’t get a chance to visit Grimmauld Place.”

“When will you go there?” I asked and he shook his head.

“I’ll think about it. But you won’t come with me, Hermione. No one knows if the house is safe and it’s best if I try it alone first.”

“But wouldn’t it be better then if someone was with you?” Ron looked at him questioningly, but Sirius shook his head again.

“It’s my house, so I should go alone.”

“I won’t let you go “ I started again and now he put a finger on my lips.

“I promise to be careful. And it won’t take too long. Besides, there is something else I have to deal with and I wanted to do it on the way.”

I hesitated, even though I knew that it wouldn’t make sense to argue with him about this. He would go alone, if I wanted it or not.


	37. Chapter 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

It was quiet. Maybe a little too quiet when I entered Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

The door closed behind me with a creak and I hesitated a few more seconds before I started to walk through the hallway slowly. Mad-Eye had told me what I had to expect, though I didn’t feel better because of it.

Suddenly, it felt like there was wind in the room and out of nowhere, dust began to fly through the air. And the figure of Albus Dumbledore walked towards me, just gray skin and bones. For a few moments, I couldn’t speak. When my tongue finally was able to move again, I took a deep breath.

“I didn’t kill you, Albus.” I said loudly and within seconds, the figure in front of me turned to dust again which vanished before it could touch the floor. At the same time, the curtains in front of the portrait of my mother flew open and she began to scream. It wasn’t difficult for me to ignore her words. I just pointed at the portrait with my wand and with a loud crack, the curtains closed again.

In the following silence, I closed my eyes. I hadn’t expected it to be like this. Even if Mad-Eye had told me that it was meant to be scary, I hadn’t thought that the sight of Dumbledore would make me feel this… sad.

With a sigh, I began to walk towards the kitchen. I knew the house wasn’t completely empty. Somewhere in here, there had to be someone. I didn’t know if I liked that thought.

During the past months, Kreacher had changed. You couldn’t describe it in any other way. He had become more friendly and even caring… Thanks to Hermione and her influence on me. Before we had to leave Grimmauld Place and search for a new headquarter, Kreacher had been living here with us. And I had been more friendly than ever to him. It had taken Hermione and Albus much time to persuade me of being nicer to him, but in the end, they had succeeded. I hadn’t been mean to him anymore and sometimes, I had even said ‘please’. First, the elf had been mistrustful, but after some time, he had started to open up a little bit. 

After the Order had to leave the house, Mad-Eye had told Kreacher to stay and that I would come back soon. To our surprise, the elf hadn’t argued. And he hadn’t left the house ever since. Of course I would never tell Hermione that I had placed a spell on him so that I could track him, but it was useful. It had been my idea and to my surprise, Kingsley had helped me to improve it. He still had doubts concerning Kreacher’s loyalty as well and in times like this, no one wanted to take more risks than necessary.

When I entered the kitchen, I found it empty. The fireplace was cold and there were some things on the table the Order had left behind. However, I didn’t think that they left it  _like this_ . Everything was in perfect order, the newspaper was folded correctly and the plates and glasses were cleaned and piled up. I shook my head and felt my lips twitch. Hermione would be proud of Kreacher, wouldn’t she? 

At the thought of Hermione, the small smile on my face vanished again. I had told her to stay at the Burrow because I wanted to come here alone. She wasn’t happy about it, but I had emphasized that it could be dangerous very much. And after lots of hesitation, she had agreed. Now she was helping Molly to prepare things for the wedding, while I had left to look after the locket. The Horcrux.

Could it really be here after all this time? Regulus had taken it years ago and the last time we had seen it, the locket was still here. But that was over a year ago by now as well. And maybe we had thrown it away…

I walked upstairs and into the drawing room where we had found it in one of the cupboards. I knew that it would be easier to ask Kreacher, but I didn’t want to deal with him yet. Sometimes, it was still difficult to be nice to him…

Of course it wasn’t there anymore. Everything that we didn’t want to throw away was in the cupboards again. And it wasn’t much. Just a few plates and vases, everything you didn’t need but what could be useful someday. When I had searched everything, I sat down on the couch and made a frustrated noise.

“Does the master search anything?” A voice at the door said and I just nodded. There was the sound of small footsteps coming closer and when I turned to look at him, Kreacher was standing in front of me. Even if I had seen him like this many times, it surprised me again that he was so clean. His clothes were completely white and looked new (Hermione had exchanged them behind my back once she was here at Easter) and his few hairs were brushed. However, his smile was the most surprising thing about the elf.

It didn’t look as if he was really happy to see me, but it wasn’t fake as well. It was just an elf who was friendly to his master.

I managed to smile at him as well, even though I was really frustrated at the moment. “Kreacher, it’s good to see you.” I started and he bowed. “Yes, I’m searching for something, but I fear that it isn’t here anymore.”

“What is it that you need to find, Master Sirius?” Kreacher asked.

“Do you remember last winter, when we cleaned the cupboards here in this room?” I asked and avoided to say that we threw things away. I didn’t want to risk Kreacher getting angry at me. I needed his help at this. “We took some things to throw them away and some others came into the cupboards again. And there was a golden locket. I think… I think it belonged to Regulus once.” I didn’t know why I had hesitated at mentioning Regulus. Somehow, I knew that there was a sad story concerning him stealing the locket. But would Kreacher even know of it?

Yes, he did. As soon as I had mentioned the name of my brother – no, even before when I had mentioned the locket, Kreacher’s eyes grew wide and now his expression was frustrated and sad. And was there fear in his eyes?

It took him some time, but finally Kreacher managed to say “Yes.”

“Where is it now?” I asked, hoping that the elf would have stolen it back from us, just as Ron was expecting it. But the expression on Kreacher’s face bothered me…

Kreacher closed his eyes, as if he couldn’t stand seeing my expression when he went on. “Gone.”

“Gone?” I asked and couldn’t hide my surprise and disappointment. “What do you mean, it’s gone?”

The elf hesitated and began to shiver. I was getting angry, but then I remembered Albus’ words. That it wouldn’t help me at dealing with Kreacher. And when I thought of Hermione’s reproachful expression every time I had yelled at him, my anger vanished slowly.

It didn’t look as if Kreacher would be able to answer soon, so I left the couch and knelt down in front of him. He jerked back as if I was going to hit him. Slowly, afraid of scaring him much more, I held up my hands as a sign of peace. “I’m not going to hurt you, Kreacher. I just want to talk to you.” When the elf relaxed again, I nodded. “You didn’t let us throw it away, I think?”

Kreacher nodded silently.

“So you had it in your room for some time.”

Another nod.

“But you haven’t got it anymore.” It wasn’t a question. “So who took it?”

“Mundungus Fletcher.” Croaked the elf and shut his eyes again. “Mundungus Fletcher took it all. When they had sorted out all those things, they had told him that he could take them and sell them. But it wasn’t enough for him. He came back, at night when the members of the Order were sleeping or not there. And then he searched the house for more things that looked good to him. And he took it all: Miss Bella and Miss Cissy’s pictures, the Order of Merlin, First Class, and… and…”

Kreacher started to breath heavily now, his eyes were wide open and suddenly, he screamed. “- and the locket, Master Regulus’s locket, Kreacher did wrong, Kreacher failed his orders!”

I reacted instinctively. When Kreacher ran towards the still open cupboard and tried to grab a knife, I grabbed the elf and wrapped my arms around him. He tried to get away from me, but I growled loudly “Kreacher, I order you to stop this. Hold still!”

The elf froze in my arms and I released him slowly, still expecting him to go for the knife again. He was breathing heavily and after a few moments, he started to cry. And I pitied him.

“Can you tell me when Mundungus stole the locket?” I asked slowly and it took Kreacher some time to look at me again. “It’s not your fault that Mundungus stole it. I want to get it back, you know?”

For several minutes, Kreacher looked at me in silence. It seemed as if he was lost in old and unpleasant memories. Or maybe he was measuring if he could tell me about Mundungus and the locket…

“He took it two days after the Order has left the house.” Kreacher’s voice wasn’t more than a whisper and first, I thought that I had just imagined those words. But the way the elf was looking at me told me that he had really said it. “He came at night and I wanted to stop him, but he just laughed at me and took everything he could get in his filthy hands. And before I could do something, he had already left the house and was gone. Gone and I couldn’t find him anymore. And he took everything -“

Before Kreacher could start to cry over his loss again, I held up my hand to make him fall silent. I really didn’t want to get a closer description of the picture of Bellatrix and Narcissa.

I took a deep breath, trying to figure out what I should ask next. I didn’t want to risk making Kreacher angry, I really needed his help at this. Maybe he was the only one who knew how the locket had come to my brother…

“When I asked you if the locket belonged to Regulus, you said it did. And after that you mentioned it again. You called it ‘Master Regulus’s’. And I would like to know why. Kreacher, would you tell me everything you know about the locket and what Regulus had to do with it?”

Slowly, Kreacher nodded. He sat down on the floor again, curled into a ball and placed his face between his knees. I remained kneeling in front of him.

And before I knew what was happening, I listened to one of the saddest stories I had ever heard. Kreacher told me how nice Regulus was after I had run away and how the Dark Lord had needed an elf years later. Of course Regulus had offered him Kreacher and Voldemort had taken him to the cave. I closed my eyes at the description of it, remembering that Harry had nearly used the same words. When Kreacher told me that he had just disapparated to get back to Regulus, I grinned grimly. Voldemort would have never expected house-elves to have magic he didn’t… And then Kreacher told me how worried Regulus was about the events on the island and that he had ordered to take him to the cave. Of all his facts, this surprised me the most. Regulus was worried about Voldemort placing the locket in the hidden cave? I turned my attention to Kreacher again and now he described how Regulus had drunk the potion and how they had exchanged the lockets. And that he had to leave him behind to destroy the real one. So Regulus had died there…

I had never liked my brother very much. He always wanted to please everyone in the family and his interests in the Dark Arts didn’t make it any better. But when I heard about his last action and the way he had died… I would have never thought that I could feel sorry for him.

The last thing Kreacher said before he fell silent was that he had tried everything to destroy the locket, but that he couldn’t do it. Then he closed his eyes and hid his face. I knew that he was crying again.

So Mundungus had stolen the locket and probably sold it already… I had to talk to him as soon as possible about it. I tried to stay calm. Getting angry wouldn’t help me at this. I had to get to the Burrow and find out where Mundungus was hiding. Maybe another member of the Order knew where he was… Or I would have to talk to him after they had brought Harry to the headquarter. But why did I feel as if Mundungus would flee as soon as they saw a Death Eater on their way?

I shoved away all those thoughts and turned to Kreacher again. “Kreacher…” I started hesitantly and he lifted his head to look at me. “Would you please sit up again?” After his story I couldn’t bear to give him clear orders.

The elf stood up slowly, wiping away his tears with a hand.

“I am going to find Mundungus Fletcher.” I said and when he realized the meaning behind my words, Kreacher’s eyes grew wide. “And I will make him tell me what he did to the locket.” Slowly, I stood up as well. “And then we’ll destroy it just as Regulus wanted it.”

“You will really do that, Master Sirius?” Kreacher croaked and when I nodded, tears appeared in his eyes again.

“I will go now and search for him. That could take a few days and I want you to wait here at the house. And don’t leave it, except when I call you. Do you understand, Kreacher?”

The elf bowed. “Yes Master, I will stay here and not leave the house.”

“And don’t mention the things we’ve talked about to anyone.”

Kreacher nodded.

“I don’t know how long it will take me, but I will come back.” I began to walk towards the door and behind me, Kreacher stood motionless. He was still crying.

Before I arrived at the stairs, I turned around again. “And Kreacher?”

“Master?” The elf croaked weakly.

“Thank you.”


	38. Chapter 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The next days, I tried to find out where Mundungus was hiding. Since the Burrow was the headquarter of the Order now, it wasn’t difficult to ask as many people as possible. However, no one could tell me where he was right now and every hint that I followed turned out to be a dead end.

It really seemed as if Mad-Eye was the only one who knew where Mundungus was. And unfortunately, he didn’t show up at the Burrow at the moment.

Hermione and Ron were frustrated as well. When I had returned from Grimmauld Place, they had listened to my news with both excitement and disappointment. It was good to know the whole story of the locket now until the moment it was stolen, but the fact that Mundungus had probably sold it was infuriating.

So we could do nothing than to sit here and wait. Either way for news of Mundungus or the day Harry would leave Number 4, Privet Drive. Which wasn’t too far away anymore.

“What do you think Harry will say when he hears that Mundungus stole the locket?” Hermione asked quietly and I looked up. I had been lost in thoughts again, thinking about Kreacher and his sad story. Somehow, I really pitied the elf and I wanted to make everything better for him. I couldn’t explain where those thoughts came from, but it was important to me now.

“He’ll be furious.” I said without hesitation and Hermione’s expression told me that she feared that as well.

“If he hadn’t found it until then, he’ll go after Mundungus himself.” Ron suspected and next to me, Hermione stiffened.

“We have to find him before Harry arrives here.” She said and I nodded. It would make everything much easier if we knew who the locket had been sold to…

“I hope Mad-Eye will show up soon so that I can ask him. He has to know where Mundungus is hiding.” I murmured.

“And what if we don’t get to see him before we’ll leave for Privet Drive?” Hermione asked and now Ron sat up.

“Mundungus will be there. So we’ll just ask him.”

She made a hissing noise. “Oh come on, Ron. We can’t just ask him about the locket when most of the Order is around! They shouldn’t know of it, remember?”

“And what do you think we should do then?” Ron asked in a louder voice and I feared that they would start to argue. Of course I had placed the _Muffliato_ on this room, but either way I didn’t want to risk anything. 

“Stop it, both of you.” I said loudly. “It’s stupid to argue about this right now! We already have enough problems. I don’t want you to fight now.” At my harsh words, they both looked at me in silence and right now, I appreciated it. “If we don’t find him until the day Harry comes here, we’ll have to search for another solution to our problem.” I said shortly and stood up. I knew that our disappearance didn't stay unnoticed. In days like these, Molly got suspicious very quickly.

“We should go downstairs again. Dinner will be ready soon and I would bet that Molly will be furious about the three of us sitting up here alone while there’s still so much work to do in the house.”

“But there isn’t anything to do right now!” Ron argued and I just grinned.

“That’s the point.”

* * *

Exactly four days before the others would leave the Burrow to get Harry, Mad-Eye showed himself again.

He didn't tell anyone where he’d been, but I assumed that he had made preparations for ‘the mission’, as he called it. He had just entered the kitchen and exchanged a few words with Arthur when I walked towards him quickly.

Apparently, my expression had told him very much because he told Arthur to wait for him and went outside with me. “It looked as if you wanted to talk to me in private.” He said shortly and I nodded. We walked towards the fence slowly.

“I have to ask you something. It’s got to do something with the job Dumbledore gave Harry, Ron, Hermione and me.”

Of course Mad-Eye didn’t look surprised. Presumably, he even knew that I had asked the others about Mundungus, even though I asked them to keep quiet about it. They had all told me they would keep it secret.

“I need to find Mundungus.” Did I just imagine it or was there a surprised expression on his face for half a second? Or was it mistrustful?

“So Mundungus has to do something with the task Dumbledore gave you?”

“Indirectly.” I said vaguely and when Mad-Eye seemed to expect me to say more, I sighed. “He knows something that could help us. Let’s just say that he would never expect that it could be important.”

Mad-Eye looked at me searchingly for a few more moments before he nodded.

“But don’t scare him to death when you try to get your information. He’ll have to come with us in a few days. And he should still be able to sit on a broom.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You really think that I would be this mean to him?” I asked innocently.

Mad-Eye nodded, a serious expression on his face. “Yes, you would.”

* * *

The place Mad-Eye had told me to go to was a shabby local somewhere in the streets of London. As soon as I had apparated there, I knew that this was a district normal people would never dare to enter. It was a place where I could imagine Mundungus very well.

The local was invisible to Muggles and in there, it smelled disgusting. It didn’t surprise me that there were only three people in the hall. Which were the barman, someone sleeping under a table in the edge of the room and Mundungus Fletcher, who jumped to his feet as soon as he saw me.

My wand was in my hand even before he could think of getting his own. I pointed at him and took a few steps away from the door. The barman looked up from his work, but he didn’t seem to be surprised and he also didn’t tell me to stop threatening one of his costumers. The man on the floor remained sleeping.

“Don’t even think about leaving this place!” I said loudly when Mundungus looked at the window and closed his eyes to disapparate. “I just want to talk to you, Mundungus.”

I wished that I wouldn’t have to do this, but Mundungus didn’t give me another choice. I had to bind him with a spell so that he fell back on his chair. With a deep breath, I let my expression turn relaxed. I sat down opposite of him.

“What are ya doin’ ‘ere Sirius?” Mundungus croaked. “I ‘aven’ done anythin’ wron’ if ya think that!”

I raised my eyebrows slowly, not saying anything. I wanted to know if he admitted stealing things from my house.

And of course he did. “Okay, it seems ta me as if ya already know what I’v don’… You didn’ like the things I took either way! So why would ya care?”

“You stole things from my house right after the Order left.” I said in a calm tone and tried not to get angry yet. “You had no right to do it. Even if all those things didn’t mean anything to me.”

Mundungus opened his mouth to say something, but I just held up a hand. “I’m not here because of this.”

Now he couldn’t hide his surprise anymore. “Why are ya here then? And why the frickin’ hell did ya tie me up?”

“I need to talk to you and I don’t have the time or the patience to run after you.” My last words sounded like a growl and Mundungus flinched. “When you took things from Grimmauld Place at night -“

He opened his mouth to protest again, but now I slammed my hand down on the table. “Don’t try to deny it, I know you were there. So you took some things. And there was also a big golden locket.”

There was recognition in his eyes and I felt a spark of hope. Maybe he still knew to whom he’d sold it.

“Where is it now?”

“What do ya mean? You never cared for -“

“It’s not your business what I am doing!” I barked and he flinched again. “And now tell me what you’ve done with it.”

“Was it valuable?” Mundungus asked, but as soon as he saw my angry expression, he stopped again. “I mean… Of course it has to be… If ya want to have it back, there mus’ be…”

“Mundungus…” I growled, slowly losing my patience.

“Okay, okay, I gave it to someone at Diagon Alley! Had been sellin’ things there and then some witch of the Ministry arrived, tellin’ me that I had to get a license to sell there. She jus’ wanted to sent me to Azkaban when she saw the locket. Told me she would lemme go if she could take it… Of course I gave it to her! I had no choice, or do ya think I wanna go to prison?”

I was beginning to get impatient. “What did she look like?”

“Well… very small, not too thin, short brown hair, her face looked like a frog. Wore everythin’ in pink. And had a very high voice…”

He stopped when he saw the shocked expression on my face.

I knew exactly who that was. And I didn’t like it. How would the others react to those news? And even worse, what would Harry say after everything she’d done to him?

Without one more word I stood up and left the local, leaving Mundungus tied up on the chair.


	39. Chapter 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione 

I looked around at Number 4, Privet Drive nervously. So this was it, the moment we’ve been planning for months now. Harry would leave the house he’d grown up in forever. And the protection of his mother would break the moment he left for the last time.

The other members of the Order were tensed as well. After all, we didn’t know if the Death Eaters knew that we would move Harry today. I thought that the chance of it wasn’t too small… Voldemort and his followers had always good ways to get information, even if no one could figure out why.

Right now, I missed Sirius more than ever. It was terrible that he had to stay at the Burrow and when we’d left, the pained expression on his face had nearly broken my heart. I knew he wanted nothing more than to come with us… And I wanted him here as well. Being without him made me feel weak and… vulnerable. I could imagine it too well, Sirius walking up and down in the Burrow nervously, looking out of the window every few seconds. How was he feeling? I knew he was worried about all of us… It had to drive him crazy.

I took a deep breath. I had to concentrate now. I couldn’t bear being distracted when we were about to get ourselves in danger. I would put a risk on everyone here. And when something happened to me, Sirius would never…

Shaking my head, I concentrated on the others again. Next to me, Ron watched Remus and Tonks explaining to Harry that they had married a few days ago. It had been a nice little party without many people there. They had celebrated at the Burrow, so we didn’t miss it, but I saw the disappointment in Harry’s eyes when he heard that they had married without him being there. Again, I asked myself if Sirius and I would get the chance to marry one day…

“All right, all right, we’ll have time for a cozy catch-up later!” Mad-Eye roared and everyone in the kitchen fell silent. He let the sacks with the clothes he brought fall on the floor and turned to Harry. “As Dedalus probably told you, we had to abandon Plan A. We can’t trust the Ministry anymore, Pius Thicknesse is under the Imperius Curse. He has made it impossible for us to connect this house to the Floo Network, place a Portkey here or Apparate in or out. They said it is to protect you, to prevent You-Know-Who from getting in at you. Absolutely pointless, seeing as your mother’s charm does that already. What they’ve really done is to stop you getting out of here safely. Second problem: you’re under-age, so you’ve still got the Trace on you.”

“I don’t -“ Harry began, but I cut him off quickly.

“The charm that makes it possible to find out if under-seventeens use magic.” I explained and Mad-Eye nodded darkly. “If you or anyone around you casts a spell to get you out of here, the Ministry will know about it.” I added.

“And so will the Death Eaters.” Mad-Eye murmured. “We can’t wait for the Trace to break. The moment you turn seventeen, you’ll lose all the protection your mother gave you.”

“So what are we going to do?” Harry asked and Mad-Eye began to walk up and down slowly.

“Use the only means of transport left to us. Brooms, Thestrals and Sirius’ motorbike.”

“Sirius’ motorbike?” Harry asked and looked around. “But where is Sirius? I thought he would come too.”

“He stayed at the Burrow. For your safety.” Mad-Eye said shortly. Harry’s expression turned from surprise over shock to anger within seconds and I knew that he wanted to argue, but Mad-Eye was faster. “He can tell you the story when you’re safe out of here. We don’t have much time.”

Harry looked as if he still wanted to say something, but the warning look on Mad-Eye's face held him back. “Your mother’s charm will only break under two conditions: when you come of age or you no longer call this place home. Since it’s too risky to wait for the first possibility, we have decided to break it earlier. You and your aunt and uncle are going your separate ways tonight, in the full understanding that you’re never going to live together again, correct?”

Harry nodded.

“So this time, when you leave, there’ll be no going back. The charm will break the moment you get outside its range. The maybe only positive thing this evening is that You-Know-Who doesn’t know we’re moving you tonight. We’ve leaked a fake trail to the Ministry. They think you won’t leave until the thirtieth. However, we can’t be sure that the Death Eaters don’t watch the house. Or maybe they even know that you’re leaving today. There is a chance that they know what we’re doing today. So we’ve given some houses of Order members the best protection we can give them. My house, Kingsley’s place, Molly’s Auntie Muriel’s – I think you understand what I mean.”

“Yes.” Harry said.

“You’ll be going to Tonks’s parents. Once you’re within the protective enchantments, there will be a Portkey that takes you to the Burrow.”

“Yes… But even if they don’t know to which house I’ll be heading first, won’t it be easy for them to find out?”

“Ah.” Mad-Eye said slowly and a cold grin appeared on his face. “I forgot to tell you the most important point of the plan. There won’t be fourteen of us flying to Tonks’s parents. There will be seven Harry Potters in the air today and every one of them will go to another house of the Order.” He took a little bottle out of his cloak and I knew that Harry recognized it immediately.

“No!” He said loudly and I exchanged a look with Ron. We had expected this to come. “No way!”

“I told them you wouldn’t like this.” I said and looked at Harry compassionately.

“If you think I’m going to let six people risk their lives -!”

“- because it’s the first time for all of us.” Ron muttered and next to him, Fred rolled his eyes as well.

“This is different -“ Harry tried to argue again.

“This isn’t different at all.” Ron contradicted and Harry’s expression turned even more angry.

“I won’t let you pretend that you’re me! You can’t do it if I don’t want to. After all, you need my hair.”

“As if thirteen people wouldn’t be able to get a few hairs of you.” George said and crossed his arms.

“I won’t let you do this!” Now Harry was nearly screaming and I saw Remus looking out of the window uneasily.

“If it has to come to force, then it will.” Mad-Eye growled. “Everyone’s over-age here, Potter, and they’re all prepared to take the risk.”

It took us some time to persuade Harry to give us a few hairs. When he finally did it, Mad-Eye let them fall into the Polyjuice Potion and Fleur, Ron, Fred, George, Mundungus and I stepped forward to drink it. A few minutes later, seven Harry's were standing in the kitchen and Mad-Eye looked at us critically.

“I think we can get ready to go. Mundungus will go with me.” Mad-Eye started and Mundungus didn’t look too happy. I forced myself not to think about Sirius’ meeting with him a few days ago. After all, he had given the locket to…

“Hermione will go with Kingsley on a Thestral, Ron with Tonks on brooms and Arthur and Fred will go together, also on brooms. Then there are George and Remus. Miss Delacour -“

“Will go with me on a Thestral.” Bill said quickly. “She’s not that fond of brooms.”

Mad-Eye nodded and looked at Harry. “And that will leave you with Hagrid on Sirius’ motorbike. We think the Death Eaters will expect you to be on a broom, so it is better not to have you there.”

Harry didn’t look happy, but he remained silent when we left the house. In the garden, I caught his arm. “Sirius wants you to be careful.” I said and at the mentioning of his godfather, Harry’s face lit up a bit, but there was also worry.

“Where is he, Hermione? You are Hermione, aren’t you?”

I nodded shortly. “They didn’t want him to come because it’s too risky. The Death Eaters would be after him immediately, especially Bellatrix. It took us some time to persuade him, but he agreed to stay at the Burrow. I don’t like it as well.” I added quickly when I saw the expression on Harry’s face. Behind us, Mad-Eye barked that everyone should be quickly. “Be careful, Harry.” I hugged him tightly.

“You too, Hermione.” He whispered and turned to Hagrid, who was already trying to get Hedwig’s cage onto the motorbike.

I took a deep breath and turned around to Kingsley and the Thestral.

* * *

Sirius

I hated it.

I simply hated waiting while the others were out there and risked their lives.

When they had left, I would have loved to go with them. The thought that Hermione was out there and that the Death Eaters could attack them drove me crazy. I couldn’t just sit here and do nothing!

But I was doing that right now. I had promised the others to stay here and wait for them to come back. It was too dangerous… As if it wouldn’t be dangerous otherwise.

In the kitchen, I heard Molly and Ginny talk silently. They were worried as well and after the others had left, I had been sitting with them at the table for some time. However, I couldn’t stand listening to their conversation very long. They were trying to avoid mentioning the others very hard and were talking about unimportant things instead.

So I was walking up and down in the living room now. I looked at the watch every few minutes and it didn’t make me feel better. The time until the first Portkey would arrive was nearly over and I was getting more and more nervous. I felt as if I had to do something… What if something had happened to the others? To Hermione or Harry? Or Remus…

I shook my head. I had to get away from those thoughts. They would make everything even worse. So I tried to think about something else, maybe the last preparations for our journey… But that made me think of Hermione and the others again.

I saw down on the couch and closed my eyes. Breathing in and out deeply, I tried to calm down again. I didn’t know how long I did it, but after some time it started to work.

I was able to relax again, even if I was still very worried.

Suddenly, there was the sound of footsteps and when I looked up, Ginny was standing at the door. “The first Portkey is here.”

She didn’t say anything else and it wouldn’t have been necessary. I stood up and nodded, not daring to ask who was here. Trying to stay calm, I followed her out of the room.


	40. Chapter 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

When I left the Burrow, I froze. Ginny had been right, the first Portkey was here. But without the persons who should have come with it. I swallowed. So Tonks and Ron hadn’t reached it in time. I closed my eyes, hoping that nothing bad had happened to them and that they were just too late.

Suddenly, there was the sound of something falling to the ground. Opening my eyes again, I saw another Portkey. It was alone once more. I felt my heart sink and Molly began to cry. Arthur and Fred should have come with it.

I couldn't shake off the feeling that something went terribly wrong tonight. For what other reason should two Portkeys come back without the people who should travel with them? I breathed in deeply, trying to remain calm, but it wasn't working. Slowly, I started to feel sick.

Next to me, Ginny walked towards her mother slowly and hugged her. Seeing the two women standing there together made me feel lonely. I missed Hermione and hoped that she was all right.

“Harry and Hagrid should be next.” Ginny said softly and I nodded. “They have to come. Who knows what happened? If they all don’t come back -“

“Don’t say that.” I cut in and shook my head. “They will come back, I know it.”

Just in the moment I said those words, the sound of another Portkey arriving caught our attention. And this time, it wasn’t alone. Ginny and Molly let go of each other quickly and I turned around immediately.

And there were Harry and Hagrid, both looking very bad. Harry was holding a hairbrush in his hand and when he saw us, he threw it to the ground.

“Harry? You are the real Harry? What happened? Where are the others?” Molly cried and we all began to run towards them.

I didn’t give Harry the time to say something. As soon as I reached him, I hugged him tightly. “Sirius.” He whispered and hugged me back. We stayed in this position for a few moments, happy to have each other back after being separated for a few weeks. When we finally let go, there was a small smile on Harry’s face. It turned into worry again too fast. He looked from me to Molly and Ginny. “What do you mean? Isn’t anyone else back?” He asked anxiously and when none of us said anything, he paled.

“What happened, Harry?” I asked and looked at his dirty face. “You look as if there have been problems.”

“The Death Eaters were waiting for us.” Harry told us and I felt as if my heart was going to stop working. Hermione was still out there. And all the others as well. “We were surrounded the moment we took off – they knew it was tonight – I don’t know what happened to anyone else. Four of them chased us, it was all we could do to get away, and then Voldemort caught up with us -“ Harry was talking very quickly now and I couldn’t get rid of the thought that he was trying to defend himself. But from what? None of the events this evening was his fault… But I knew my godson Most probably, he was already blaming himself.

“Thank goodness you’re all right!” Now Molly hugged Harry as well and after her, Ginny wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Why don’t we go inside?” Molly asked, sounding hysterical. She and Hagrid went inside quickly, while I stayed with Harry and Ginny. It didn’t take long until they let go of each other.

“Ron and Tonks should have been back first, but they missed their Portkey, it came back without them.” Ginny told Harry and his face darkened when he looked at the rusty oilcan lying on the ground.

“Arthur and Fred should have been back as well.” I added, pointing at the other Portkey. “You and Hagrid were third and George and Remus should be back soon.”

Ginny looked on her watch. “They should be back in about a minute.”

We had nearly reached the door, but at her words, we turned around again to face the garden. I hoped Remus and George would be all right…

And as Ginny had said it, a light appeared in the darkness. It grew larger and then Remus and George appeared.

I knew that something was wrong immediately. Remus was supporting George, who seemed to be unconscious. Without hesitation, Harry and I ran towards him. Together, Remus, Harry and I carried George into the house and towards the sitting room. Ginny had already told Molly that something was wrong and they were waiting for us anxiously. When we laid George on the sofa, I realized where the blood came from. One of George’s ears was missing.

Molly shoved me away roughly and bent over her son. At the same time, Remus grabbed Harry’s arm and dragged him back into the kitchen. Hagrid protested loudly and I was on my feet immediately. “What are you doing?” I said loudly and followed them.

“What creature sat in the corner, the first time that Harry Potter visited my office at Hogwarts?” He shook Harry and when I caught his arm, Remus shoved me away. “He has to answer me!” I knew that he wanted to check if he was the right Harry, but either way I didn’t like how he treated my godson. And besides, I already knew it was the right Harry. I had known it the moment we had hugged each other.

“A Grindylow in a tank, wasn’t it?” Harry stuttered and looked at Remus nervously.

Without saying anything, Remus released Harry and fell back against a kitchen cupboard.

“I’m sorry, Harry, but I had to check. We’ve been betrayed. Voldemort knew that you were being moved tonight and the only people who could have told him were directly involved in the plan. You might have been an impostor.”

I growled and he turned to look at me. His face was pale. “The next time you want to know something like that, you should ask me first.” I said in a warning tone. I knew it was unfair, but I didn’t care about that right now. I couldn’t let anyone treat Harry like this, no matter who it was. After having to wait for hours, I didn’t have the patience for things like this anymore.

My heart was still racing because I was so worried about the others. And I hated myself for not going with them. Maybe I could have helped them somehow…

“Why aren’ you checkin’ me?” Hagrid asked, trying to get through the door.

“You’re half-giant. Polyjuice Potion doesn’t work on you.” Remus said shortly and closed his eyes in exhaustion. Right now, I started to regret my outburst.

Harry was looking through the window, his arms crossed. “None of the Order would have told Voldemort we were moving tonight.” He said and I knew how terrible that idea was to him. “He didn’t know which one I was until the very end. He caught up with us soon before we reached the safe house. If it all had been planned, he would have known that I was with Hagrid right from the beginning.”

“Voldemort caught up with you?” Remus said sharply, sounding as shocked as I was still feeling about that. “What happened? How did you escape?”

Harry explained how the Death Eaters had followed them shortly. He had already told us some of it, but this was the first time I heard the full story as well.

“How did they recognize you?” Remus asked the question I had been thinking about for some time as well.

“I saw Stan Shunpike… you know, he was working on the Knight Bus.” Harry hesitated and I knew that we wouldn’t like to hear what was coming next. “And I tried to Disarm him -“

“You tried what?” I asked loudly and looked at Harry wide-eyed. Remus seemed too surprised to say anything at all. “Harry, the time for Disarming is over! These people are trying to kill you!”

“And so I should just kill them myself?” Harry muttered angrily and shook his head. “I am not going to do this! I am not a murderer!”

“Then use other spells, but not just disarm them! Every Death Eater knows that you used the spell against Voldemort. It’s like your personal sign to them.”

“But I don’t want anyone to get hurt badly if he doesn’t have control about his actions.”

“And what makes you think that they can’t control what they are doing?” Remus asked quietly. “Not everyone is under the Imperius Curse, Harry.”

“I know that.” Harry shook his head. “But I don’t -“

He didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence. Ginny entered the room slowly. Her face was deadly pale and her hands covered in blood. When Harry saw her, he seemed as if he wanted to take her into his arms. However, he remained where he was.

“Will George be all right?” He asked carefully and now Remus seemed to forget his frustration with Harry. He closed his eyes.

I felt my anger vanishing slowly as well. This wasn’t the right moment to fight about things we couldn’t change anymore. After all, ten of us were still out there…

“I think so.” Ginny said and remained standing in the doorway.

“There won’t be a chance of replacing his ear.” Remus muttered and we all were silent for a few moments. “Not when it’s been cursed off…”

None of us had noticed the Portkey arriving outside. Just when we heard someone calling, we all jumped to our feet and I ran outside, followed by Remus and Harry.

The first person I saw was Kingsley. My heart started to beat faster when I saw the figure next to him. She was returning to her normal appearance right now and when she noticed me, Hermione’s face lit up. I felt as if my knees would give in under me, but I didn’t stop running towards her.

Hermione threw herself into my arms and began to sob quietly. “You’re all right.” I whispered over and over again, too relieved that nothing had happened to her. Over her shoulder, I saw Kingsley and Remus pointing at each other with their wands. Harry was watching them silently.

“The last words Albus Dumbledore spoke to the pair of us?” Kingsley asked.

“’ _Harry is the best hope we have. Trust him._ ’” Remus said calmly and Kingsley nodded. He turned and pointed with his wand at Harry, but Remus held up his hands. “It’s him, I’ve already checked it.” He ignored the dark look I was giving him. 

Slowly, Hermione was calming down again and when she looked up, her lips twitched. “I’ve missed you so much.” She whispered and I tightened my grip around her waist.

“I’ve missed you too. I’ve been so worried, it nearly drove me crazy.” I breathed into her ear and a worried expression appeared on her face.

“You’re all right?”

I couldn’t stop myself from smiling for a few seconds. “Shouldn’t I be the one asking that question?”

Slowly, we let go of each other and Hermione took my hand. When we walked towards them, Harry and Remus were just telling Kingsley what had happened. When Hermione heard the story with George’s ear, she paled even more.

“And Ron’s not back yet?”

I shook my head. “We don’t know where the others are.”

Harry hugged Hermione tightly as well. The others walked towards the house again and we followed them slowly.

“How did George lose his ear?” Hermione asked hesitantly and Remus turned to her.

“Snape’s work.” He said shortly and both Harry and I looked at him wide-eyed.

“ _Snape_?” Harry shouted and Remus didn’t look happy about having mentioned him. 

“You didn’t say that he was there as well.” I muttered darkly and Remus sighed.

“Too much has happened this evening. I wanted to tell you the most important things first and after this whole story with George… I didn’t think about it anymore. But yes, Snape. _Sectumsempra_ has always been his favorite spell. I wish I could have paid him back, but I didn’t get a chance. I had to keep George on the broom. He was losing so much blood…” 

Again, my anger vanished at the sad expression on Remus’ face. And suddenly, I realized that Tonks was still among the people who weren’t back yet…

“It’s not your fault.” I said and touched Remus’ arm in a gesture of support. He looked at me gratefully and I managed to smile for half a second.

When we entered the sitting room again, Hermione tightened her grip around my hand. Seeing the sad expression on her face, I took her into my arms again.

“I’ll prove who I am, Kingsley, after I’ve seen my son, now back off if you know what’s good for you!” A voice in the garden shouted and Arthur came into the room. He knelt down next to the couch immediately. Fred followed him.

I exchanged a look with Harry, Remus and Hermione. In a silent agreement, we left the house again. Maybe it was better to let them be alone right now. Kingsley was waking in circles in the garden, looking at his watch every few seconds. We didn’t say anything and soon he joined us to stand in front of the house. We all looked into the darkness.

I didn’t know how long we had been standing there. It could have been minutes or even hours. So much had happened that the time seemed like something unreal. I squeezed Hermione’s hand, glad to have her back. I was so relieved that she was all right…

Suddenly, a broom materialized a few feet in front of us and landed on the ground.

“It’s them!” Hermione screamed and before we knew what was happening, Remus was already running towards them.

“Remus!” Tonks cried and threw herself into his arms. Remus’ face was pale and he seemed unable to speak. Was this what I looked like when Hermione had arrived here?

Ron stumbled towards us and we all hugged him tightly. “You’re okay.” He murmured to Hermione and she nodded.

“What happened to you?” I asked and Ron shrugged his shoulders.

It was Tonks who spoke first. “Ron was great. Stunned one of the Death Eaters, straight to the head, and when you’re aiming at a moving target from a flying broom -“

“You did?” Hermione asked, not able to hide her surprise. To be honest, I was surprised as well.

“Always that tone of surprise.” Ron murmured and rolled his eyes. Then he turned to Harry. “Are we the last who are back?”

“No.” I answered for him. “Bill and Fleur are still missing and so are Mad-Eye and Mundungus.”

Ginny appeared in the door to look who was there. When she noticed that everyone was all right, she vanished inside again.

“What kept you? Why did you miss your Portkey?” Remus asked, sounding almost angry. I knew the worry had made him sick.

“Bellatrix.” Tonks said and I had to close my eyes. So she had been there. And as I had feared, she didn’t hold herself back just because I hadn’t been there. “She tried to kill me very hard. It was very difficult to escape.” When I opened my eyes again, I noticed that Tonks was looking at me now. “When she noticed that you weren’t there, she aimed at me. It was clear that she was disappointed because you were missing. When we finally had reached Ron’s Auntie Muriel’s, the Portkey was gone without us. Muriel didn’t let us go away that soon, always searching for reasons to make us stay. After some time, I just couldn’t stand it anymore. So I took Ron and we left.”

Remus was looking at her with an unhappy expression on his face. I knew him well enough to see that he was trying to hold back his anger very hard.

“What happened to you?” Tonks asked and we began to tell our stories. However, we were still looking up every now and then to see if the last ones would arrive soon.

At length, Kingsley sighed. He looked at the sky one last time before he turned to us again. “I have to go. I should have been at Downing Street an hour ago. Will you let me know when the others are back?”

Remus and I nodded. With a wave to the others, Kingsley walked into the darkness towards the gate. I heard the  _pop_ when he disapparated. 

I heard footsteps in the house and turned around to see Molly and Arthur walking towards us.

“Thank you for our sons.” Molly said to Tonks, but she shook her head.

“Don’t be silly, Molly.”

“How’s George?” Remus asked and now Ron looked up.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s lost -“ Molly didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. In the darkness, a Thestral had appeared and it landed in the middle of the garden. Bill and Fleur were sitting on it. They both looked exhausted, but luckily no one of them was injured.

“Bill! You’re here, thank God!” Molly ran towards him and wrapped her arms around her son, but Bill didn’t seem to notice it. He looked at Arthur, who was standing closest to him.

“Mad-Eye’s dead.”


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

We all stared at Bill, frozen in shock.

It was hard to believe. Mad-Eye Moody – dead. I hoped that I didn't understand him correctly, that Mad-Eye was all right. That he was alive.

Next to me, Hermione was squeezing my hand. I knew that she was on the edge of tears and tried to stay calm. Silently, I wrapped my arms around her shoulders.

No one said a word. Was there even something to say? I didn’t think so. I just looked at Bill sadly, waiting for him to tell us what happened.

“We saw it.” Bill said finally, breaking the silence in the garden. “It happened just after we broke out of the circle. Mad-Eye and Dung were close by us, they were heading north too. Voldemort – he can fly – went straight for them. Dung panicked. I heard him cry out and he Disapparated. Mad-Eye tried to stop him, but he didn’t have a chance. Voldemort’s curse hit Mad-Eye full in the face, he fell backwards off his broom. There was nothing we could do. Half a dozen Death Eaters were chasing us as well -“ His voice broke and he closed his eyes.

“Of course you couldn’t have done anything.” Remus said and his words were followed by another silence.

Harry looked at me and I saw the sadness in his eyes. He would miss Mad-Eye too. We would all miss him. After Dumbledore’s death, he had been the person we were all holding on to… He had been guiding us. And now he was gone.

Slowly, everyone in the garden started to follow Molly and Arthur back inside the Burrow. In the end, only Hermione, Ron, Harry and I were left.

“This is terrible.” Hermione whispered and wiped away the tears on her cheeks.

“I would love to know how they found out that you were leaving tonight.” I said to Harry and he nodded, looking more thoughtful than really angry.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Someone has betrayed us.” Ron said.

“But who?” Hermione asked and I had my doubts as well. I knew most of the Order for years now and I didn’t think that one of the members would just reveal our plans to the Death Eaters.

“I don’t think that someone betrayed us.” Harry argued and hesitated for a few moments. “And if somebody let something slip, I’m sure it was a mistake. I know no one meant to do it. It must have been a mistake.”

We all looked at Harry in silence until I shook my head. “You’re like your father, Harry. James also tried to see the good in people and he would have rather died than not to trust his friends.”

“But we really have to trust each other. Otherwise, we can’t win the fight against Voldemort.” Harry said and it sounded as if he wanted to defend himself.

“I don’t argue at that point.” I said calmly. “You just reminded me of my best friend.”

“But if someone really betrayed us and we still trust him, isn’t it possible that more problems will come?” Ron asked.

“That’s why we’re leaving and no one knows where we’re going.” Hermione answered immediately.

“Yeah, maybe it won’t be a problem to us. But what about the other members of the Order who won’t go into hiding?”

I took a deep breath. Ron was right. “We all have to be very careful from now on.” I said.

“I still don’t think that someone betrayed us.” Harry said stubbornly.

“How else could the Death Eaters have been there?” Hermione raised her eyebrows, but Harry just shrugged.

“I think we should go inside.” I hoped they would stop thinking about this for some time. There was no need of an argument right now. “It doesn’t make sense to be out here any longer.”

  
  


Of course my hope turned out to be wrong as soon as we entered the sitting room. The others were talking about the same subject we just had left behind. Again, they asked who could have betrayed us and Harry argued that we couldn’t blame anyone. I would have liked to scream.

“You think that I’m a fool, don’t you?” Harry asked Remus after he had told the others how he thought about the whole situation.

However, Remus shook his head.

“I told him he was like James.” I said and looking at me, he nodded.

“That’s what I thought too.” Remus admitted and for a few moments, we were both lost in memories. “There was nothing worse to him than not trusting his friends.”

I nodded. “You certainly got that from him.” I told Harry. Apparently, he didn’t know if it was a compliment or a reproach.

Harry seemed as if he wanted to say something, but Remus had already turned away from us. Looking at Bill, he sighed. “There’s work to do. I can ask Kingsley whether -“

However, Bill shook his head. “No. I’ll do it. I’ll come with you.”

“Where are you going?” Tonks and Fleur asked at the same time. A little irritated, they exchanged a look before turning to Remus and Bill again.

“Mad-Eye’s body.” Remus said. “We need to find it.”

I wanted to tell them that I was coming too, but the pleading expression on Hermione’s face made me stay silent. Remus seemed to understand what kept me here and he nodded quickly.

“Can’t it -“ Molly began and looked at Bill, but her son had a cold look on his face.

“Wait until tomorrow? Not unless you want the Death Eaters to take it.”

No one spoke and Remus and Bill took this as a sign that they could leave without being held back. They said goodbye and left.

One by one, the others began to sit down. Hermione and I were leaning against a kitchen cupboard. After I had worried so much about her, even the distance between two chairs seemed too big for me. I wanted to have her in my arms and this way, it was much easier.

Harry remained standing as well and the look on his face already told me what he wanted to say.

“Harry.” I said to get his attention.

Being ripped out of his thoughts, Harry turned to me, a confused look on his face.

“Don’t.” I said simply and he understood what I meant.

“I have to go.” He whispered so that only we could hear him.

Hermione shook her head. “You’ve still got the Trace on you. They would find you as soon as you even think about magic. And besides, we’ve already planned everything. You can’t leave alone.”

“Then I’m going to hide and meet you somewhere.”

“It won’t be that easy.” I reminded him, a serious look on my face. “And you also won’t leave without us. We’re going together, but after the wedding. There’s no need to rush things now that you’re here.”

“It’ll be more dangerous for everyone here when I’m around.”

“This house is probably one of the most protected ones in the country. No one can come in here.” Hermione said thoughtfully, but Harry shook his head again.

“Don’t be stupid. I won’t let you go without us.” I began to get annoyed again. This night really didn’t belong to my favorite ones.

“But -“

“No. We’ll do this together, do you remember?”

Harry wanted to argue again, but Hermione was faster.

“What do you even want to do? You can’t just go and search the Hor- them alone.”

At the mentioning of the Horcruxes, Harry looked at me curiously. “Did you find out something?”

I nodded. “I can’t tell the story right now. Not here.” Somehow, I had the feeling that Molly tried to listen to our conversation. And many others as well. Which wasn’t easy since Ron was telling a story. And his voice was very loud. My lips twitched. A good idea to prevent the others from listening.

“Later, in Ron’s room?”

I looked from Harry to Hermione. Both had dark rings under their eyes and the rest of us wasn’t looking any better. I shook my head. “Tomorrow, I promise. We’re all too tired for more stories this evening, especially when they’re as exciting as mine.” I smiled slightly and even if Harry wasn’t happy with my decision, his lips twitched.

“So your story is exciting?” Hermione whispered mockingly and I rolled my eyes.

“You know it is, darling.” I breathed into her ear.

Somehow, I knew that she was the one rolling her eyes now.


	42. Chapter 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The next morning, we didn’t get a chance to talk in private. It seemed as if Molly tried to keep us from talking to each other. Or even from being alone. When I left the room I had slept in and went to the kitchen, the others weren’t there.

“The others aren’t awake yet?” I asked Molly, who was searching for something in a kitchen cupboard.

First, I thought that she didn’t notice me. But suddenly, her head appeared behind one door of the cupboard. She looked stressed. “Oh Sirius, good morning. Were you talking to me? Hermione’s awake already, I told her and Ginny to clean the room Fleur’s parents will sleep in before breakfast. They should be here soon. Harry and Ron still seem to be asleep. I will have to wake them. They shall feed the chicken.”

“I could look after them.” I offered and turned around to go back upstairs. However, Molly was faster. I didn't see her standing up and closing the cupboard, but suddenly she was standing in front of me, blocking my way to the stairs.

“You don’t have to do that, Sirius. I’ll go and wake them.” Before I could even react, she had already vanished on the stairs. I stood there for a few more seconds, looking after her speechlessly. With a sigh, I sat down on a chair and closed my eyes. So this was her attempt to keep us from planning our departure. Not very clever, but effective. But she couldn’t keep us from talking to each other forever. At least we still had a few days until the wedding and there wasn’t an endless list of preparations that had to be made. Or was there? I didn’t doubt that Molly would go so far, just to make us stay here…

When I looked up again, my eyes fell on the  _Prophet_ which was lying on the kitchen table. I unfolded it and began to read a few articles. On the first pages, there wasn’t anything important. No missed persons, no accidents, nothing. In comparison to the past weeks, this was really strange. I knew that there were still too many things happening, but why didn’t they write about them anymore? Were the Death Eaters already controlling parts of the  _Prophet_ ? Or did the Ministry just try to make everything seem less dangerous than it was? I would have to talk to Kingsley or Tonks later…

When I turned to the next page, I froze. So here was it again. Another article of Rita Skeeter. And of course it was about her new book again. This time, it was about Dumbledore’s time at Hogwarts and the prizes he’d won. I didn’t read it completely. I just looked over it to see what lies she was telling again. How could anyone possibly believe what this horrible woman was writing? Every time I read something she wrote, I began to feel ill. Or angry. Most of the time both.

At the end of the excerpt, she mentioned a few things that will also be in the book. And there it was. She had written more than one chapter about Harry and Dumbledore. With a sigh, I let the paper sink down on the table. Worst of all was that many people would actually believe what that woman wrote. Even if she didn’t understand anything. Especially not Harry or Dumbledore and their relationship. Could Rita Skeeter even understand feelings? I doubted it. All she was thinking of was profit. She didn’t care if she destroyed someone’s life. I hated her as much as Harry did.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned around to see Hermione and Ginny coming down the stairs. Ginny was grimacing and Hermione had to laugh. I smiled at that.

“Good morning.” I greeted them and stood up to kiss Hermione. Ginny just grinned and sat down on a chair opposite to me.

“Anything interesting?” She asked and pointed at the _Prophet_ on the table. 

I shook my head. “Not a word. According to the papers, nothing has happened. Everything’s peaceful.” I said ironically and Hermione shook her head.

“They didn’t write something about yesterday?”

“No and there’s nothing else about bad things happening as well.”

Hermione frowned. “Are they starting to hide the accidents again?”

I shrugged. “Probably. Or they just don’t want the people to know that Harry nearly got killed yesterday.” The bitterness in my voice was far too obvious and when Hermione paled, I squeezed her hand and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. It’s just scary to think about how close they were to…” Hermione stopped and closed her eyes.

“What’s that article about?” Ginny asked to change the subject and pointed at the picture of Dumbledore.

“Rita Skeeter.” I said simply and Ginny groaned.

“We should throw away that newspaper.” She said loudly and I nodded. Next to me, Hermione had started to read the article.

“She has written a chapter about Harry and Dumbledore?” She asked and I nodded. Opposite me, Ginny sat up.

“Why did she do that?”

“Many people are speculating about the connection between Harry and Dumbledore.” Hermione said slowly. “I should have guessed that it would also be in this book.”

“All lies.” I growled and Ginny nodded darkly.

“I don’t think that he should see it.” Before we knew what was happening, Ginny had already taken the newspaper and threw it into the trashcan.

Hermione’s lips twitched and I grinned at Ginny. “Good idea. The world’s better off without the things Rita Skeeter wrote.”

Now we all had to laugh. After everything that had happened, it felt good again.

However, it didn’t take long until I sighed. “If he got the newspaper yesterday, he will already know that there’s a chapter about him and Dumbledore. She announces it like every day…”

Ginny shook her head. “She’s a horrible woman.”

“I agree.” Hermione said fervently.

A few minutes later, Molly came into the kitchen again. Harry and Ron followed her, but as soon as they wanted to sit down on the table, Molly shooed them into the garden. They weren’t too happy about that. We others had to help her at preparing breakfast, so our time to talk was over as well. I accidentally set the trashcan on fire. Did I know how my wand came into my hand? No, of course I didn’t. However, the fire wasn’t too bad. After all, I extinguished it as soon as the  _Prophet_ had vanished… 

* * *

The first chance we got to talk in private was in the evening. During the day, many members of the Order were at the Burrow since it was the new headquarter. Remus was back as well, just to tell us that they didn't find Mad-Eye's body.

“So they really have taken it…” Harry had whispered and Remus had nodded darkly.

After dinner, when most members of the Order had left again, Hermione, Harry, Ron and I went upstairs to Ron’s room. Harry locked the door behind us and I pointed at it with my wand. “ _Muffliato_ .” 

“So what happened when you searched for the Horcrux?” Harry asked impatiently and I knew that he had been thinking about it the entire day. “Did you find it?”

I shook my head and Harry’s expectant expression vanished immediately. Now he looked disappointed. “It wasn’t there anymore. But I know where it is now.” I explained.

At those words, Harry sat up again. Hermione and Ron exchanged a look. Of course they knew the story already and feared Harry’s reaction.

“And where is it? What happened to it?” Harry asked quickly and I sighed.

“I’ll tell you the whole story. And don’t think that I start at the end. That would be boring.”

Harry looked to Ron and Hermione. “You know where it is, right?” Hermione looked down sheepishly, but Ron just nodded.

“So why can’t you tell me where it is right now?”

My lips twitched. He was like James. Always too impatient. “They had to listen to the entire story as well.”

Harry looked at me for a few more seconds, before he gave in. “Okay, so tell me what you found out.”

And I began to tell him everything about my visit at Grimmauld Place. At the description of Kreacher’s behavior, Harry raised his eyebrows, but he didn’t say anything. He seemed to be speechless and a little part of me couldn’t blame him for that. It really was impressing how much Kreacher had changed.

When I came to the part with Mundungus and that he had stolen the locket, Harry’s expression turned angry and I saw that he wanted to say something. I held up my hand quickly to make him stay silent. He would be angry enough when the story was over. I didn’t need that right now as well.

So I also told him about the pub I had found Mundungus in and what he told me.

“ _No_!” Harry shouted and stood up. Now I was really happy that no one else in the house could hear us. Harry stood there and for a few moments, he was silent. Then he started to walk up and down. “How could he possibly give it to her?” He stopped in front of me and I sighed.

“You know Mundungus, he would have done everything to get away without being punished.”

“And he doesn’t know Umbridge and what she’s done, Harry.” Hermione added.

“And how are we supposed to get the locket back now?” Harry asked helplessly and I stood up to put a hand on his shoulder.

“I’ve already started to think about it.” I said slowly and now the others were looking at me expectantly.


	43. Chapter 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

“We can’t break into the Ministry!” I said loudly after Sirius had told us about his idea.

“Hermione, I don’t want to sound mean or something like that…” Ron hesitated for a moment, looking from me to Harry and Sirius. “But I think we’ve already done that once.”

“And we’ve already done far more dangerous things.” Harry added and Ron grinned at him.

I couldn’t believe it. They couldn’t possibly think about Sirius’ idea as good, could they? He had just told us about his plan to get the locket back from Umbridge. It involved breaking into the Ministry, using Polyjuice Potion, finding Umbridge and taking the locket from her somehow. Without attracting attention and without getting caught. And of course we had to get out of there alive as well. It sounded just impossible.

Next to me, Sirius placed a hand on my arm. “Of course there are lots of things we have to think of, but it should be possible.”

“It’s too dangerous. What will happen if they catch us? If they catch Harry?” _Or you_ , I added in thoughts. 

“But we have to get the locket.” Harry interrupted us and when I turned to him, I saw this stubborn look in his eyes. He thought the idea of breaking into the Ministry and stealing the locket from Umbridge was possible. And he was determined to do it.

I sighed. Maybe Sirius should have waited and told us about his idea after the wedding. I didn’t know if that would have made anything better, but at least we wouldn’t have this discussion now. Or in every free minute we would have the next days.

“I know that, Harry.” I said slowly and took a deep breath. “I know that we need to destroy it. But is this the right way? Getting ourselves in danger, even if we could prevent it…”

“You can’t prevent that.” Harry said simply. “Not if you’re coming with me. I thought you know that, Hermione.”

I just opened my mouth to reply when Sirius cut in. “Of course we know that. I think Hermione didn’t mean it like that. She just thinks my idea is too risky.”

I shot him a grateful look and nodded. “Maybe we could get it in a different way.”

“But how? You know she barely leaves the Ministry. Or do you really want to break into her house?” Ron asked, a disgusted look on his face at the thought of Umbridge's house.

“Maybe we should all think about this for some time and talk about it again later.” I suggested. “If we really want to do it, we have to think about everything for some time anyway. And who knows? Maybe one of us will get a better idea before the wedding.”

Harry and Ron looked as if they doubted it, but they didn’t say anything.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

“Ron, are you and the others in there?” Ron made an annoyed noise and Harry sighed. So this was the end of our time alone. “Ron, it’s really late, you should be already in bed! Tomorrow, we’ll have lots of things to do!”

“She doesn’t want us to be alone.” I said in a normal voice. The _Muffliato_ was still on the door, so Molly couldn’t hear us even if we would scream at each other. 

“Of course she doesn’t. She’s afraid we would plan something.” Sirius said and began to search for his wand.

“She know we’ll do it, if she wants it or not.” Harry murmured, just before Sirius pointed at the door with his wand to break the spell.

“We just wanted to go to bed, thanks for reminding us!” Ron said loudly and on the other side of the door, I heard something that could have been a growl.

“Did you have to be so mean?” I whispered and looked at Ron reproachfully, but he just grimaced.

With a sigh, I stood up to go to bed.

* * *

Sirius

The next day, we didn’t get a chance to talk about our plans again. The Delacour’s had arrived and Molly kept us all busy. I only got a chance to talk to Harry and Ron for a few minutes, where they whispered something about a Ghoul and pajamas to me. Irritated, I planned to ask Hermione about it later. She would know what was going on.

However, I didn’t get a real chance to talk to her that day as well. In the evening, we were in the living room with the Delacour's. The other members of the Order had vanished after dinner and I couldn’t blame them. The Delacours were… not the kind of persons I wanted to talk to very much. Most of the Weasley's looked bored as well, but of course no one was allowed to leave the living room. I thought that Molly didn’t want to be alone with Fleur's parents. I couldn’t blame her for that as well.

* * *

The morning of Harry’s birthday, I stood up earlier and so I was one of the first people who entered the kitchen. Molly was already there and Arthur just left for work. He told us to congratulate Harry and said he would be back for dinner.

We didn’t have to wait too long for Harry and Ron to enter the kitchen. They were laughing about something and I stood up, grinning widely.

“Happy Birthday, Harry!” I said loudly and hugged my godson tightly. “How does it feel to be seventeen?” I asked, still grinning.

“Not much different than to be sixteen?” Harry asked with a smile and I laughed. “Well, except that I can do magic now whenever I want.”

“Great feeling, isn’t it?” I asked and for a moment, I was lost in thoughts. “On my seventeenth birthday, I felt like I could do everything.”

Suddenly, I was pushed aside and Molly had wrapped her arms around Harry.

“Happy birthday, my dear!” She said and smiled at Harry. She looked proud and I asked myself again if she didn’t count Harry as one of her own children as well sometimes. “Arthur told me to wish you a happy seventeenth, Harry. He had to leave early for work, but he’ll be back at dinner.”

In the meantime, Ron had looked at the presents on the kitchen table. “Which one do you want to open first?” He asked and Harry just shrugged.

“Take the one of Molly.” I said and when Harry looked at me questioningly, I winked at him.

The present of Arthur and Molly turned out to be a watch.

“It’s traditional to give a wizard a watch when he comes of age,” Molly said, watching Harry anxiously, as if she wasn’t sure if he would like it. “I’m afraid that one isn’t new like Ron’s, it was actually my brother Fabian’s and he wasn’t terribly careful with his possessions, it’s a bit dented on the back, but -“

She didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence because Harry got up and hugged her tightly. When he released her, Molly looked very surprised. She waved her wand, causing some of the bacon in the frying pan to fall onto the floor. I took my wand immediately to help her clean up.

Which was why I didn’t see Hermione coming into the kitchen and giving her present to Harry. I stood up and she smiled at me. I grinned back at her.

She had bought Harry a new Sneakoscope. Harry wanted to open my present now, but I forced him to take the ones of Bill and Fleur as well as Fred and George first.

“So where’s your present?” Ron asked and I had to laugh. Next to me, Hermione rolled his eyes.

“That’s not a nice thing to ask, Ron!” She muttered and now Harry had to grin as well. I knew he found it very amusing when his best friends argued about unimportant things.

I pointed at the last small box on the table, now feeling a little nervous as well. I really hoped Harry would like my present. I had thought about it for a long time. Instead of buying him something like the last times, I had done something different now.

And once Harry opened the box, I knew that I had made the right decision. The first thing Harry saw were two pictures. One of his parents and him as a little child and one of his parents and me. I saw Harry staring at them, frozen in shock. His eyes were wide and I could see a mixture of emotions in them. Sadness, love, longing, happiness. Everything was there. After a few moments, he put the pictures aside. Under them, I had put a ring. I didn’t know why I gave him the ring of James; the one with the symbol of Gryffindor on it. He never told anyone where he got it, I just knew that he always wore it since our third year at Hogwarts. The last thing in the box looked a little worn off, it was a scarf, also in the colors of Gryffindor. It had been Lily’s. 

When Harry looked up from those things, I saw tears in his eyes. He didn’t say anything, just hugged me tightly. “Thank you, Sirius.” He whispered into my ear and I smiled.

“Don’t thank me for that. Maybe I should have bought something more useful -“

“No, it’s perfect.” Harry cut me off and I hugged him again.

When we let go, Hermione and Ron were looking at the things I had given Harry. They both looked a little sad. Hermione had one of the pictures in her hands and when I looked at it closer, I noticed that it was the one of James, Lily and me.

In the meantime, Ron was looking at the ring. I knew exactly why. It had surprised me as well that James possessed something like this.

Suddenly, the door of the kitchen opened and Madame Delacour, Fleur and Gabrielle entered the room. Harry, Ron, Hermione and I stood up immediately. Hermione grabbed Harry’s presents. He kept the ring and handed her the pictures and the scarf as well. “I’m going to pack those things for you.” She announced and vanished on the stairs. We tried to follow her, but on the first floor, a door opened and I saw Ginny standing there. She looked at Harry.

“Harry, will you come in here a moment?” I saw that Ron wanted to protest, so I pushed him up the stairs to prevent him from saying anything. I knew he didn’t like it, but we had to give the two of them some space. After all, we wanted to leave soon and who knew when they would get a chance to see each other again.

After Hermione had packed the things into her small bag (well, it  _seemed_ to be small), they wanted to go downstairs again. When we arrived at Ginny’s door, I blocked the way. “We’re not going in there.” Ron looked at me angrily, but something seemed to hold him back from saying something. I knew he thought that Harry wanted to tell Ginny that it was over. Because we were going to leave. However, I didn’t think that Harry could really do it.

So we went into the kitchen again and helped Molly to prepare a few things for the arrival of the guests in the evening. There wouldn’t be many people, just Hagrid, Remus and Tonks. But I knew Harry was looking forward to it. So we had to make this evening as good as possible.


	44. Chapter 44

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

In the evening, we were all sitting in the garden. We had to place the tables for dinner outside since the kitchen of the Burrow was too small for so many people, even if the only guests would be Charlie, Remus, Tonks and Hagrid. Fred and George had just finished to bewitch some lanterns with a large ‘17’ in the middle to hang in mid-air over the table when the first guests arrived.

Remus and Tonks were led into the garden by Molly, who was bringing the birthday cake. Of course it turned out to be a Snitch. At that, I grinned at Ron and the other Weasley's. Even Hermione seemed to be impressed, even if she had never thought much of Quidditch.

When Remus and Tonks had given their present to Harry and turned to us, I noticed that something was wrong. They both looked unhappy. However, I couldn’t explain why. A few days ago, everything seemed to be alright. Remus was happy to have Tonks and he accepted their relationship completely now, so what happened? I would have to ask later. Right now, I couldn’t do anything except raising my eyebrows at Remus, who shook his head so that only I could see it. I didn’t know if Hermione noticed it as well, she was just talking to Tonks about something. Maybe their present for Harry.

I couldn’t stop myself from standing up. Hermione looked at me in surprise, but I just smiled and walked to Remus, who didn't come to the table yet. “Is everything alright? You look terrible.” I whispered and Remus sighed.

“You could have asked later.” He murmured and I shook my head.

“My best friend looks as if something terrible has happened. Is it so bad to ask why?” I raised my eyebrows again and crossed my arms. “And besides, I don’t want you to run away later before I get an explanation.”

At that, Remus’ lips twitched. However, he got serious again. “And if I would say that it’s something between Tonks and me and that it’s none of your business?” He asked, sounding colder than before.

I rolled my eyes. “You’ve never been good at lying, Moony.” At those words, Remus closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

“It’s nothing.” He said again and I narrowed my eyes.

“We both know that it’s not true.” I stated and crossed my arms.

For a few moments, Remus looked insecure and I thought that he was going to tell me now, but he just sighed again. “I’ll tell you later, I promise. But not now. Not in front of all those people.” He looked around and his eyes didn’t stay on one person for more than a few seconds. Why was he so nervous?

I nodded slowly. “And don’t you dare run away then.” I muttered before I grinned at Hagrid who was walking towards us now. He had just given Harry his present, but I didn't see what it was yet.

“Sirius, Remus, it’s good to see yeh!” He said loudly and before we could say anything ourselves, he had already turned away again. “An’ there’s Charlie! Always liked him – hey! Charlie!” Charlie walked towards us and ran a hand through his new haircut. I thought short hair looked better on him, but I wasn’t sure if I could say something like that. Hermione had told me a few weeks ago that my hair was getting too long as well…

“Hi, Hagrid, how’s it going?” Charlie asked and Hagrid grinned.

“Bin meanin’ ter write fer ages. How’s Norbert doin’?”

“Norbert?” Charlie laughed. “The Norwegian Ridgeback? We call her Norberta now.”

“Wha – Norbert’s a girl?” Hagrid asked in surprise and I exchanged an amused look with Harry, who was standing at the other side of the table with Ron.

“How can you tell?” Hermione asked and Charlie turned to her. Remus and I walked to them again.

“They’re a lot more vicious.” Charlie said and looked over his shoulder. “Wish Dad would hurry up and get here. Mum’s getting edgy.” He whispered and now we all looked at Molly who was trying to talk to Madame Delacour. However, it didn’t work out well since she looked at the gate every few seconds. Suddenly, I felt a touch on my hand and when I looked down, I saw Hermione smiling at me. I squeezed her hand and tried to smile back, but I thought that it looked a little forced after the little conversation with Remus.

“I think we’d better start without Arthur.” Molly called suddenly and we all fell silent. “He must have been held up at – oh!” In that moment, a streak of light came flying across the yard and onto the table. I noticed that it was a Patronus immediately and when it turned into a silver weasel, we all knew who had sent it.

“ _Minister of Magic coming with me_.” The weasel said with Arthur’s voice before it dissolved. We all stared at the place where it had just been for a few moments in silence. My mind was racing now. Why on earth would Rufus Scrimgeour come here? Then realization hit me. Harry. He wanted to talk to Harry again. It couldn’t be something else. I felt my heart begin to beat faster and next to me, Hermione squeezed my hand, looking nervous.

Remus was the first of us who broke the silence. “We shouldn’t be here.” He said, looking tensed. “Harry – I’m sorry, I’ll explain it to you later. But now we have to go.” He took Tonks’ hand and pulled her away from the table. She looked at us apologetically, but didn’t say anything else. When they reached the fence, they climbed over it quickly and vanished from sight. I thought I heard them disapparating.

Molly looked at us with a confused expression on her face. “Why is the Minister coming with him? I don’t understand -“ She wasn’t able to tell us what she didn’t understand. In that moment, I heard someone else coming and when I turned around, I saw Arthur appearing behind the gate and next to him stood Rufus Scrimgeour, the Minister of Magic. They walked into the garden, towards us and I thought that Ron whispered something like “What does he want here?” into Harry’s ear. My godson just shrugged. He looked at the Minister coldly. After everything that had happened between them, I couldn’t blame him for that.

“Sorry to intrude.” Scrimgeour said loudly and when I got a closer look at him, I noticed that he looked really tired. “Especially as I can see that I am gatecrashing a party.”

He looked at the cake in form of a Snitch for a few moments in silence before he turned to Harry. “Many happy returns.”

“Thanks.” Harry said slowly.

“I require a private word with you.” Scrimgeour continued and I would have liked to scream at him to go away. “Also with Mr Ronald Weasley and Miss Hermione Granger.” At that, I felt like someone would have hit me. Why would he want to talk to Hermione as well?

“Us?” Ron asked, sounding just as surprised as I was. “Why us?”

“I shall tell you that when we are somewhere more private.” Scrimgeour said and I thought that his eyes stayed on me a little longer than on the others. “Is there such a place?” He asked Arthur now and he nodded nervously.

“Yes, of course. The, er, sitting room, why don’t you use that?”

“You can lead the way.” Scrimgeour said to Ron. “There will be no need for you to accompany us, Arthur.” Arthur exchanged a worried look with Molly, who was very pale.

Next to me, Hermione stood up slowly. I wanted to go with her, but she put a hand on my arm. “It’s all right.” She whispered, though she looked nervous. “He won’t talk to us when you’re around. You know that, Sirius. Please stay here, it’s going to be okay.” I wanted to protest, but the look in her eyes told me that I wouldn’t be successful. So I just sighed and nodded. Hermione kissed me on the cheek quickly before she followed Harry, Ron and the Minister into the house.

* * *

Hermione

I sat on the sofa next to Harry and Ron, feeling nervous. I couldn’t explain to myself why the Minister of Magic was here and wanted to talk to us. First, I had thought that he just wanted to see Harry. But then he had asked for Ron and me as well and I had no idea what was going on anymore. I hated it. And I hated the look on Sirius’ face when he had to stay in the garden with the others while we went into the house with the Minister.

“Very well, then.” Scrimgeour said and shrugged after Harry had told him very clearly that he would have to talk to us together. “I am here, as I’m sure you know, because of Albus Dumbledore’s will.” I had expected many things, but not this. Dumbledore’s will? And he had mentioned us in it? I exchanged a look with Harry and Ron. They both looked surprised as well.

“A surprise, apparently! You were not aware, then, that Dumbledore had left you anything?” Scrimgeour asked and I had the feeling that he was only waiting for us to say something wrong now.

“A – all of us?” Ron asked. “Me and Hermione, too?”

“Yes, all of you.” Scrimgeour wanted to say more, but Harry interrupted him.

“Dumbledore died over a month ago. Why has it taken this long to give us what he left us?” He asked, sounding cold.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” I couldn’t stop myself from talking anymore. “They wanted to examine whatever he’s left us. You had no right to do that!” I didn’t know how I found the courage to talk to the Minister like this, but I knew that Sirius would have been proud. He always thought that you couldn’t just do what those people said.

“I had every right.” Scrimgeour barked and I tried to look unimpressed. “The Decree for Justifiable Confiscation gives the Ministry the power to confiscate the contents of a will -“

“That law was created to stop wizards passing on Dark artifacts and the Ministry is supposed to have powerful evidence that the deceased’s possessions are illegal before seizing them! Are you telling me that you thought Dumbledore was trying to pass us something cursed?” I raised my eyebrows slowly. I was angry at the Minister and thought Harry and Ron noticed that because they were looking at me from the corner of their eyes.

“Are you planning to follow a career in Magical Law, Miss Granger?” Scrimgeour asked, sounding a little more interested now.

I shook my head. “No, I’m hoping to do some good in the world.” I said and suddenly, Ron started to laugh. I knew exactly why.

“So why have you decided to let us have our things now? Can’t think of a pretext to keep them?” Harry asked to change the subject.

“It’s because the thirty-one days are up.” I answered his question immediately. “They can’t keep the objects longer than that unless they can prove they’re dangerous. Right?” I knew the answer to my last question, nevertheless I wanted to ask it again. But Scrimgeour just ignored me and started to ask Ron about his relation to Dumbledore. Which seemed to be satisfying for the Minister since Ron couldn’t say very much about it. He had never talked to Dumbledore in private and we all knew it. Harry and I had to help Ron before he said something wrong. I thought this whole situation was strange. There was only one reason why Ron and I would be mentioned in Dumbledore’s will. Our mission. Dumbledore had known of it – he had even persuaded Harry to take us and Sirius with him. So maybe there were things he wanted to give us for it. And this was the only way to do it after his death. And Sirius wasn’t mentioned, because… It would have been strange. The Ministry would have been suspicious. That had to be the reason.

“’ _The Last Will and Testament of Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore…’_ ” Scrimgeour began to read out and looked over the next few lines in silence. “ _’to Ronald Bilius Weasley, I leave my Deluminator, in the hope that he will remember me when he uses it.’_ ” He took an object from his bag that looked like a silver cigarette lighter to me and handed it to Ron. Ron couldn’t answer the question why he might need an object like this and Scrimgeour turned to me now. 

“’ _To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in the hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive.'_ ”

He handed me a small, ancient looking book that looked like it had been read many times. I put it down on my lap and looked at it in silence. Suddenly, I felt really sad. I realized again that Dumbledore would never come back, that we had lost him. I knew that I was about to cry, but I didn’t try to stop myself.

“Why do you think Dumbledore left you that book, Miss Granger?” Scrimgeour asked and I wiped away the tears with my sleeve.

“I… He knew I liked books.” I said slowly, sounding sad. I hoped that Scrimgeour would turn to Harry now, but he didn’t.

“Why that particular book?”

“I don’t know.” I said and it was true. I had never heard of this book before. “Maybe he thought that I would enjoy it.”

“Have you ever discussed codes or any other secret messages with Dumbledore?”

“No, I didn’t.” Why couldn’t he just stop asking me all those things now? I wiped away a few more tears. “And if the Ministry hasn’t found any hidden codes in this book in thirty-one days, I doubt that I will.” I added a little more annoyed than I wanted. I tried to hold back a sob, but I wasn’t successful at it. Suddenly, Ron put an arm around my shoulders. I looked at him gratefully and he smiled.

“’ _To Harry James Potter, I leave the Snitch he caught in his first Quidditch match at Hogwarts, as a reminder of the rewards of perseverance and skill.’_ ” Scrimgeour read out and I stopped to cry immediately. Did he just say that Dumbledore left Harry a Snitch? I sat up a little bit and Ron looked at me questioningly. My mind was racing while I followed the conversation between Harry and Scrimgeour. He really wanted to know why Harry’s birthday cake was a Snitch! Everyone knew how good Harry was at Quidditch. Scrimgeour should stop acting that stupid. How I would have liked to tell him that… 

And then they came to the subject I had been thinking about since the Minister had mentioned the Snitch.

“A Snitch would be a very good hiding place for a small object. You know why, I’m sure?” Scrimgeour asked and Harry shook his head. I answered the question for him.

“Because Snitches have flesh memories.” I said and the Minister nodded.

“What?” Harry and Ron asked, and Scrimgeour looked at them.

“A Snitch is not touched by bare skin before it is released, not even by the maker, who wears gloves. It carries an enchantment by which it can identify the first human to lay hands upon it, in case of a disputed capture. This Snitch” He held up the golden ball Dumbledore had left Harry “will remember your touch, Potter.” He asked Harry if Dumbledore could have hidden something for him inside the Snitch, but Harry had no idea what it could be. I thought that Scrimgeour’s idea wasn’t that bad. What if Dumbledore had hidden something inside it? But if Harry would take the Snitch now and it would open in front of the Minister… 

Nothing happened when he took the Snitch from Scrimgeour. I thought that there was something like disappointment in the eyes of the Minister, but it vanished very quickly.

“That’s all, then, is it?” Harry asked coolly and wanted to stand up, but Scrimgeour shook his head.

“Not quite.” The Minister said. He looked like he was in a bad mood now. I thought that he had hoped other results from this conversation. “Dumbledore left you a second object, Potter.”

“What is it?” Harry asked, sounding excited again.

Scrimgeour didn’t take out the will again. “The Sword of Godric Gryffindor.” He said and now we all held our breath. If the other things had been strange, this confused me even more. Why would he give the Sword to Harry?

“So where is it?” Harry asked, looking around.

“Unfortunately, Dumbledore had no right to give that Sword away. The sword of Godric Gryffindor is an important historical artifact, and as such, it belongs -“

“To Harry!” I said immediately, not caring if I would interrupt the Minister at this. “It chose him, he was the one who found it, it came to him out of the Sorting Hat -“ I didn’t get a chance to finish my sentence because Scrimgeour interrupted me again. I was really beginning to hate this man!

“According to reliable historical sources, every worthy Gryffindor can get the sword. That does not make it the exclusive property of Mr. Potter, whatever Dumbledore might have decided.” And this was when the situation escalated.

It didn’t surprise me that Harry had enough of Scrimgeour’s questions as well. When the Minister wanted to know why Dumbledore tried to give the sword to him, Harry got angry and began to shout at the Minister. He accused the Ministry to make stupid things like trying to break open a Snitch while there were breakouts from Azkaban and people like Mad-Eye were dying. I knew Harry was right, but it didn’t seem the right situation to mention all those things.

And then Scrimgeour got angry as well and started to shout at Harry. He pointed his wand at Harry and it singed a hole into his t-shirt. Then Ron took out his wand as well and we all started to shout at each other. I just wanted them all to stop and then the door burst open.

The first one who entered was Sirius, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. When he saw the situation we were in, Sirius stopped immediately and looked at us all in silence, an alarmed look on his face. He was completely tensed and I knew that he was angry. Really angry.

“We – we thought we heard -“ Mr. Weasley began, looking at Harry and Scrimgeour with an alarmed look on his face.

“- raised voices.” Mrs. Weasley finished his sentence and looked around nervously.

Slowly, Scrimgeour took a step back. He looked at Harry’s t-shirt and now I could tell that he regretted his loss of temper. “It was nothing.” He growled and looked at Sirius for a few seconds before he turned to Harry again. “I… regret your attitude. You seem to think that the Ministry does not desire what you – what Dumbledore – desired. We ought to be working together.”

“I don’t like your methods, Minister.” Harry said coldly. “Remember?” He raised his right fist and showed him the scars that Umbridge had caused. _I must not tell lies._ At the sight of that, Scrimgeour’s expression turned even colder. Without another word, he turned away and left the room. Mrs. Weasley went after him. We all stood there, frozen in shock. I wanted to go to Sirius and wrap my arms around him, but something held me back. After a minute, Mrs. Weasley came back. “He’s gone!” She announced and those two words seemed to break the silence. Ron sat down on the couch again, while Mr. Weasley took a step towards Harry. Before I could even react, Sirius was standing in front of Harry and me. 

“Are you all right?” He asked, sounding worried. We both nodded in silence. Sirius wrapped his arms around me and I closed my eyes for a few moments. Finally, I could relax again. Even if Sirius was still tense.

“What did he want?” Mr Weasley asked and looked around.

“Give us what Dumbledore left us. They’re only just released the contents of his will.” Harry said and Sirius made a surprised noise.

“He left you something?”

Harry nodded. “The three of us.”

“What is it?” Sirius sounded interested now and I couldn’t blame him. So Harry told him what had happened. In the end, Sirius looked thoughtful.

“He wanted you to have the sword as well?” He asked again and Harry nodded. “I wonder why… And to the Snitch -“ The look on Sirius' face told me that he had an assumption about this.

However, Harry interrupted him. He shook his head. “Later.”

I didn’t know why, but there was a grim expression on Sirius’ face now. “I was told that before. Then the person ran away.”

I just wanted to ask what he was talking about when Molly came into the room again. “Why don’t we all go outside again and try to enjoy the rest of the evening?” She asked, still sounding a little worried.

Next to me, Harry nodded. “Sounds like an idea. Let’s go.” And with that, he and Ron left the house. Sirius and I couldn’t do anything else than to follow them.


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

In the garden, Harry told me to come to his room after everyone went to sleep. I knew he wanted to talk about everything that happened this evening, so I just nodded. Sirius would be there too, he had many questions about the things Scrimgeour said. We didn’t talk about the previous events anymore, all we did was to show the others the things Dumbledore had left us. Fred and George were discussing why he would have done it, but I wasn’t interested in that conversation very much. And it seemed as if Harry and Ron didn’t care either. They were sitting at their table, the cake in front of them and stared into the air.

We helped Mrs. Weasley to clean up the garden and carry the tables inside. After that, everyone went to their rooms to go to bed. I waited for a few minutes after the house had become silent and tried to go upstairs as quietly as possible. Once I reached the door and went inside Ron’s room, I pointed at it with my wand. “ _Muffliato._ ” I whispered and relaxed a little bit. Luckily, no one had noticed that I left the room and went upstairs. I turned around to see Ron and Sirius sitting on the bed, while Harry was standing at the window, the Snitch in his hands. 

“I thought you didn’t like that spell.” Ron said and I rolled my eyes.

“Times change.” I replied simply and sat down next to Sirius, who wrapped his arm around my shoulders. “And now show us that Deluminator.”

Ron did it at once and took it out of his pocket. He clicked it and the light of the lamp went out at once. I knew that it would happen, Ron had done it before in the garden, but it surprised me either way.

“The thing is that we could have also done that with Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder.” I whispered, but then there was another _click_ and the light returned to the lamp. 

“But Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder can’t do this.” Ron said and grinned. “With this, we can get the light back whenever we want. And I think it’s cool, from what they said Dumbledore invented it himself!”

“But I don’t think that he just gave it to you because he wanted to help us turn out the lights.” I said thoughtfully and Sirius nodded.

“There has to be a reason why he mentioned you three in his will.” Sirius said slowly. “He wanted you to have those things. What I would like to know is why.”

At the window, Harry laughed dryly. “Would have been easier if he just told us why he wanted us to have them, wouldn’t it? And if he would have done it, he could have just given them to us. Then there wouldn’t have been the problem of the Ministry trying to find secret messages or hidden objects in those things.”

“I think Dumbledore knew what he was doing.” I tried to defend him, but Harry just turned around and raised his eyebrows.

“Did he? Then why didn’t he tell us that we were mentioned in his will? Why didn’t he tell me that he wanted us to have those things? And what use do they have?” Harry sounded frustrated now and I understood him very well. He had trusted Dumbledore and nevertheless, he didn't tell Harry everything.

“Maybe he wanted you to find it out yourselves.” Sirius suggested and Harry sighed.

“I still think that it would have been easier if he had given us those things when he was still alive.” He murmured and sat down on the bed as well.

I looked at my copy of  _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ and opened it. “If these things are important enough to pass on right under the nose of the Ministry, you’d think he’d have let us know why… unless he thought it was obvious?” 

“Thought wrong then, didn’t he?” Ron said. “I always said he was mental. Brilliant, but cracked. Leaving Harry an old Snitch – what the hell was that about?”

“I don’t know.” I said. “Scrimgeour seemed to be sure that something was going to happen when Harry took it. And I thought that too.”

“Yeah, well.” Harry began and hesitated for a moment. Next to me, I saw Sirius looking at the Snitch with new interest. There was something in his eyes, I thought it looked like realization. “I wasn’t going to try too hard in front of Scrimgeour, was I?” Harry asked and looked at Sirius who had started to grin. I felt like I had missed something important.

“What do you mean?” I asked, looking from Harry to Sirius and back.

“The Snitch I caught in my first ever Quidditch match? Don’t you remember?” Harry asked, now smiling as well.

I still didn’t understand what he meant, but on the other side of the bed, Ron gasped. “That was the one you nearly swallowed!” He said loudly and Harry nodded.

“Exactly.” He said and pressed his mouth to the Snitch. First, nothing seemed to happen. The Snitch didn’t open and I saw the disappointment on the faces of the others. Ron sighed and Harry exchanged an unhappy look with Sirius, who was frowning at the Snitch. And that’s when I saw it. Now I was the one who gasped loudly.

“Writing! There’s writing on it, quick, look!” I pointed at the Snitch and at my words, Harry nearly dropped it. He turned it around so he could read what was written on it. However, his excitement turned to disappointment again.

“ _I open at the close._ ” He whispered and looked at us, a confused expression on his face. “What does that mean?” 

We all shook our heads.  _I open at the close_ … It sounded like a message, something we should understand. But I didn’t. What did Dumbledore mean with it? The close… the end, maybe? But when should that be? And even more important, how should we know? 

“I open at the close… at the _close_ … I open at the close…” Harry whispered it over and over again. But I knew that he couldn’t find a meaning behind those words as well. 

“Sounds like a message to you.” Sirius said slowly and I nodded.

“What message?” Harry asked.

“I think you’ll know when the right time comes to open that Snitch.” I said. “At the close. It has to be a special moment. We can’t know yet. But I’m sure you’ll know when the moment’s there. Somehow.”

Harry raised his eyebrows, he didn’t look as if I had convinced him. “Hermione, are you sure?”

“It makes sense.” Sirius defended me. “It would be typical for Albus to do something like this.”

Harry sighed. “Why did he have to make everything so difficult?”

“I’m sure everything was clear to him. He thought in a different way than we do.” Sirius said.

“He should have known that I wouldn’t understand all those things.” Harry muttered darkly.

“And the sword.” Ron said suddenly to change the subject. “Why did he want Harry to have the sword?”

“And why couldn’t he just have told me?” Harry said quietly. “It was there, right on the wall of his office during all our lessons last year! If he wanted me to have it, why didn’t he just give it to me then?”

No one knew the answer to that question. I would have loved to give Harry an answer, but this time, I didn’t have one. And the others were just as clueless as I felt myself.

“And as for this book…” I said after many minutes of silence. “ _The Tales of Beedle the Bard…_ I’ve never even heard of them!” 

“You’ve never heard of _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_?” Ron asked, sounding completely surprised. “You’re kidding, right?”

I shook my head. Why did he ask something like that? “No, I’m not!” I said loudly and looked at Harry, who just shrugged. “Do you know them, then?”

“Of course I do!” Ron said immediately and next to me, Sirius touched my shoulder.

“It is a book full of stories for children.” Sirius said. “To be honest, I’m surprised that Dumbledore left it to you as well.”

“Children’s stories?” I asked and looked at the book in surprise.

“How can’t you know those stories?” Ron asked again.

“Ron, you know full well Harry and I were raised by Muggles!” I said and hoped he would stop to tell us all the names of the stories in this book. “We were told different stories when we were little.”

“What I don’t understand” Harry started “is why Dumbledore thought you would read those stories.”

“I don’t know.” I said simply. “But I’ll read the book soon, maybe I'll understand why Dumbledore left it to me then.”

“He really liked to make things difficult…” Harry muttered again and Sirius sighed.

“You don’t know that, Harry. I think Albus had good reasons to do the things in the way he did. Maybe we’ll understand it later.”

Harry didn’t look convinced, but before he could say anything else, there was a sound downstairs.

“What was that?” I asked, looking at Sirius. I knew he heard much better than most others.

“Someone’s on the stairs.” He said.

“Probably just Charlie, now Mum’s asleep, sneaking off to regrow his hair.” Ron said nervously.

“We should go to bed now, shouldn’t we?” I asked. “It wouldn’t do to oversleep tomorrow.”

“No.” Ron agreed. “A brutal triple murder by the bridegroom’s mother might put a bit of a damper on the wedding. I’ll get the lights.” He said and once Sirius and I had left the room, I heard the sound of the Deluminator behind us.


	46. Chapter 46

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The morning of the wedding was surprisingly normal. The only thing that told us that it would be an important day was Molly because she was so nervous. The others were very calm. We all helped Arthur to set up the marquee in which the wedding would take place and after that, Hermione and I carried out some chairs. In the meantime, Fred and George left to get some hair for Harry to change his appearance. As far as I knew, they had found a red-haired guy in the village who looked like a Weasley. In a family that big, no one would notice that he didn’t belong to them.

The guests would arrive at three o’clock in the afternoon and it was planned that Fred, George and Harry (today, he would be Barny Weasley) would wait for them outside the marquee and show them their places. The others were waiting in the house. Hermione had gone upstairs to help Ginny get dressed and Molly was busy in the kitchen. So I was standing in the sitting room alone and looked out of the window. I didn’t mind being alone for some time. This gave me the chance to think of everything that happened in the past days. Dumbledore had died some time ago. The Death Eaters had attacked while we wanted to take Harry to a safe place. Mad-Eye was dead. George had lost an ear. There was something going on between Remus and Tonks. Dumbledore had mentioned Harry, Ron and Hermione in his will. And Scrimgeour had tried to find secret messages in the things Dumbledore had left them. 

I shook my head slowly. Most of those things seemed planned to me. Of course not the deaths and George’s injury, but the others. Dumbledore had a reason for giving those objects to Harry and the others. It was important to him, he even risked the Ministry looking at those things. As I knew Dumbledore, the Ministry would have never found something, even if they could have kept the things longer than for thirty-one days. And then there was the attack of the Death Eaters. I had thought of that before and it still seemed as if they knew when we would move Harry. It had to be like this, they couldn’t have attacked that quickly otherwise.

The only question was: who told them that we would do it?

I couldn’t find the answer to it. There had to be something I was missing, a detail which explained everything. But I didn’t see it. And the others had no idea as well. It was frustrating. Because whom could we trust if we didn't know who told our secrets to the enemy? There was a traitor in our rows, but who was it?

I heard footsteps on the stairs. High-heeled shoes. There weren’t many people in this house who would wear something like this. Five, to be exact. And three of them were busy, so there were only two people who could come here now. I turned around, not surprised to see Hermione leaning against in the doorframe. What surprised me was her appearance. She was wearing a short, purple dress with fitting high heels. Her hair wasn’t curly as usual but sleek and it was shining. She held her little bag in her hand and smiled at me shyly. She looked beautiful.

“How do I look?” She asked quietly and I realized that I was staring at her. I crossed the room with a few big steps and wrapped my arms around her, careful not to ruin her hair.

“You look stunning.” I whispered and kissed her. When I released her again, she still looked a little suspicious, but I just grinned. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re beautiful, Hermione.” I touched her cheek softly.

Slowly, her smile returned and she blushed. “I thought it was too much, but Ginny said that it was perfect for a day like this.”

“She’s right.” I said immediately. “You’ll be the most beautiful woman today.”

Hermione shook her head. “I doubt that I can beat Fleur at that. She’s always been more beautiful. And today, in her dress? There’s no way someone could look better than her.”

“You do. I always think that you’re the most beautiful one.” I whispered and kissed her again.

Hermione laughed softly. “But you don’t look too bad as well.” She said and pointed at my dress robes.

I rolled my eyes. “I don’t look better or worse than any other man today. Maybe except for Bill. These dress robes always look the same.”

“No, they don’t.” Hermione argued immediately. “And you look very handsome in yours.” She smiled and kissed me on the cheek.

I shrugged but couldn’t stop myself from grinning. “I love you.” I whispered into Hermione’s ear and she took my hand.

“I love you too. And now let’s go outside. Otherwise, there will be lots of angry people waiting for us.”

* * *

Many guests had already arrived. When we went to the marquee, I saw Harry and Ron talking to Muriel. I understood immediately why they didn’t look very happy. I had never met Muriel in person, but the Weasley's told many stories about her and according to them, she wasn’t a friendly woman. Even Molly didn’t look happy when the subject changed to something she had said or done.

I felt relieved when we stopped next to Harry and Ron and Muriel wasn’t there anymore. “She seems to be a very nice person.” I said sarcastically and Ron sighed loudly.

“She’s a nightmare. You can be happy that you didn’t have to talk to her.” He said and Harry nodded silently. Now Ron seemed to look at Hermione for the first time since his eyes widened in surprise. “You look great, Hermione!” He said and smiled.

“Always that tone of surprise.” Hermione said, but she smiled. “However, your Great Aunt Muriel doesn’t agree. I met her upstairs when Ginny and I got dressed. She said ‘Oh dear, is this the Muggle-born?’ and then ‘bad posture and skinny ankles’.”

Now I looked at her in surprise. “You didn’t tell me that.” I whispered and noticed that I sounded offended.

“Oh come on, it’s nothing.” Hermione whispered back.

“Don’t take it personally, she’s rude to everyone.” Ron said and Hermione nodded.

“Talking about Muriel?” A voice asked and we turned around to see Fred and George walking towards us. “She’s just told me my ears are lopsided.” George said and rolled his eyes. “Old bat. I wish old Uncle Bilius was still with us, though, he was a right laugh at weddings.”

“Wasn’t he the one who saw a Grim and died twenty-four hours later?” Hermione asked.

“Well, yeah, he went a bit odd towards the end.” George said slowly and I chuckled, remembering the time when everyone at Hogwarts thought that I was a Grim.

“What’s so funny?” Harry next to me asked while the others continued to talk about Bilius Weasley.

“Remember when Professor Trelawney saw the Grim in your cup of tea?” I asked with a grin and Harry nodded immediately, grinning as well. He had told me that story in a very detailed way. By that time, it seemed to be scary and dangerous, but now we could laugh about it. Since we all knew the truth.

“She was completely insane.” Harry whispered and laughed again. It was good to see him smiling again. In the past weeks, he had always been so serious.

“But with one thing she was right.” I said slowly. “It wasn’t a Grim, but a big black dog. So there was a bit of truth in her forecast.”

Now Harry rolled his eyes. “Pure luck.” He murmured and I shook my head and chuckled. He didn’t like that woman, that wasn’t difficult to see. Even if it still surprised me that Hermione really hated her. It seemed to unusual for Hermione to think of someone like this. Especially of a teacher.

Suddenly, there was someone else coming to our little group. He had long, dark hair, a large, curved nose and thick, black eyebrows. He stopped next to Ron and looked directly at Hermione. I felt the urge to hit him because of the way he looked at her. That’s why it took me some time to realize that I knew him. It was Viktor Krum.

“You look vunderful!” He said to Hermione and she looked at him in surprise.

“Viktor!” She said loudly and nearly dropped her bag. I caught it before it could fall to the ground. When I gave it back to her, I looked at her closely. She looked surprised and insecure, and was there something like uneasiness in her eyes? I frowned and looked from her to Viktor Krum again. I didn’t like him.

To my surprise, Hermione took my hand and squeezed it. I looked at her again and saw that her expression had changed. It seemed as if she wanted to calm me down now.

“I didn’t know you would be here. I mean, of course it’s good to see you. How are you?” Hermione asked and looked at Viktor questioningly. This gave me the time to look at the faces of the others. Harry looked rather neutral, but Ron seemed to be as unhappy with the appearance of Viktor Krum as I was.

“How come you’re here?” Ron asked in an unfriendly way.

“Fleur invited me.” Krum said and raised his eyebrows.

Now Harry took a step forward and shook Viktor’s hand. He introduced himself as Barny Weasley and offered to show him his seat. Krum nodded, but his eyes were on me now. He looked suspicious. I knew what he must have been thinking. What was Hermione doing here with this man who was much older than her?

“And you are…?” He said slowly and I thought that he tried not to sound angry.

“Sirius Black.” I said and we shook hands.

“I’ve heard from you.” Krum said and now he frowned at Hermione. “Didn’t you kill many people and went to Azkaban for it?”

The mood in our little group changed immediately. Ron looked at Krum wide-eyed, his expression still angry, while Harry paled and Hermione gasped. “He didn’t kill those people!” Hermione said immediately and I wanted to sigh. I forced myself to stay calm.

“If you would really know as much about me as you say, then you would know that I was innocent. And that the Ministry admitted its mistake. He looked at me as if I was a murderer. I turned to Harry. “Why don’t you show Viktor his seat, Barny?” I asked and for a few seconds, Harry didn’t seem to understand that I meant him. But then he nodded. 

“This way, please.” He murmured and with a last angry look at me, Krum left with him.

Next to me, Hermione sighed loudly. “This was awful.” She muttered and Ron nodded.

“Can you understand why I don’t like him now?” Ron asked and Hermione nodded reluctantly.

“He didn’t seem to know very much about you.” Hermione said to me.

“He knew what everyone believed for a long time.” I replied. “That I was a mass murderer and worked for Voldemort.”

At those words, Hermione winced. “Don’t say that.” She whispered and I sighed.

“I’m sorry, but you know that it’s the truth. There are still many people who don’t trust me, even if the Ministry had admitted the mistake.”

At that, Hermione remained silent. She looked at me thoughtfully, a rather sad expression on her face. I touched her cheek softly. “Come on, don’t look at me like that. Today is not a good day to be sad. We’re at a wedding, remember?” I winked at her. It had the required effect. Hermione smiled again.

When the others around us began to sit down, we did the same. Harry appeared next to us again and sighed. “He wouldn’t stop asking me about the two of you.” He whispered, sounding annoyed. “I said I didn’t know that much and left. I couldn’t stand it anymore.”

I didn’t get a chance to say anything else to that because in this moment, the music started.

* * *

The wedding was beautiful. With all those dark things happening, it was good to see something like this again. A happy couple that married out of love. When the ceremony was over, most people started to dance or they sat down to talk. Ron searched for a table as far away from Muriel and Krum as possible and I was grateful for that. I didn’t want to talk to either of them. We stayed at the table for some time, but then Hermione asked if we wanted to dance and I just couldn’t say no to her.

When we finally returned to our table, the others weren’t there anymore. I had seen Harry talk to Krum while we were dancing, but now he was standing next to Muriel and there was someone else sitting on their table I knew. It was Elphias Doge, who had been a friend of Dumbledore. I would have liked to go to them and see what they were talking about, but since Muriel was there as well, I decided to stay here with Hermione. Harry would have to tell me what they said later.

I looked around for some time and then I saw Remus and Tonks walking towards us. They had been dancing as well and Tonks smiled happily. “Hermione, Sirius!” She said and hugged us both. Remus smiled at us as well, but he had dark rings under his eyes and again, I asked myself what was going on. “It’s good to see you, how are you?” Tonks asked and Hermione began to tell her a few things that happened at the Burrow since they left on Harry’s birthday party the previous evening.

“I’m sorry that we had to leave so quickly yesterday.” Remus said and looked around.

I shook my head and held up a hand. “Don’t apologize. I know what the Ministry says to werewolves these days. I understand why you wanted to leave when the Minister showed up.”

Remus looked at me gratefully, but then he frowned. “What did he want?”

I told him what happened in a few sentences. After that, Remus looked even more thoughtful. “So Dumbledore left them something in his will…” He murmured and I nodded.

“We’ll have to find out why he did it.” I said and raised my eyebrows. “And now to my question. You wanted to tell me why you look so horrible.”

First, Remus didn’t seem to understand what I meant. But then his eyes widened and he shook his head. “Not now.” He said immediately and looked at Tonks for a few moments. “When we’re alone.”

“But when will we be alone again?” I asked.

Remus didn’t get a chance to answer my question. At that moment, a few people on the dance floor cried out in surprise. We turned around immediately, just to see a lynx standing there. And then the Patronus opened its mouth and it spoke in the loud, deep, slow voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

“ _The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming._ ”


	47. Chapter 47

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

For a few seconds, everything was silent. No one dared to move. We all stared at the lynx that was fading slowly, frozen in shock. And then everything seemed to happen at once. At least I thought that afterwards. In that moment, all I could think of were the others and that we had to get out of here.

I jumped to my feet and grabbed my wand. Next to me, Hermione did the same. I turned around to her. “We’ve got to find the others!” I said loudly and hoped she could hear me with all those screams of the wedding guests. “And then we have to leave!”

Hermione nodded, a determined expression on her face. She began to look around slowly, searching for Harry and Ron. I hoped she would see them soon in this chaos. I wanted to help her searching for them when someone grabbed my arm. Remus was looking at me with a sad look on his face. “You have to go and make sure they don’t find you! Take care of them, I’m sure they’ll need you.”

I sighed and hugged my best friend tightly for a few seconds. “Be careful.” I whispered and even if the word seemed to fall apart around us, Remus smiled for half a moment.

“Always. And don’t do too many stupid things, Padfoot.”

“Can’t promise that.” I whispered and without further hesitation, I turned around, grabbed Hermione’s hand and we began to run through the crowd. She had already been waiting for me and I let her lead the way. It didn’t take long for me to see where she wanted to go.

We met Harry and Ron in the middle of the marquee, between many broken chairs and tables. All around us, I heard people casting spells. We didn’t have much time left. As soon as Harry and Ron grabbed Hermione’s free arm, everything around as began to turn and then it was dark.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, we were standing on the middle of a big sidewalk, surrounded by people walking by. It was still loud, even if no one was screaming anymore. These were only normal people, talking. I was still holding Hermione’s hand. Harry and Ron were looking around hectically, surprised by our position.

“Where are we?” Ron asked, still looking around.

Since I had been asking myself the same question, I looked at Hermione and raised my eyebrows. “Tottenham Court Road.” Hermione gasped and began to walk through the crowd, not caring about our surprised faces. “Walk, just walk, we need to find somewhere for you to change. You’re far too obvious.”

I looked down at myself and sighed quietly. She was right. After all, we were still wearing our black robes for the wedding. And Harry was himself again, which meant that his robes were too large as well.

“You don’t look much better, Hermione.” Ron muttered under his breath while we walked along the sidewalk quickly.

“Ron, I don’t think -“ I started, but Hermione dug her nails into my hand to make me fall silent again. I sighed. “Okay, I get it.” I muttered darkly and looked over my shoulder. Harry and Ron were directly behind us. “Let’s get off this street.” I told them and we walked into the next side street that was a little darker.

It didn’t take us long to change our clothes. When all our robes were in Hermione’s handbag again, Hermione handed Harry his Invisibility Cloak. “Put that on, I don’t think it’s a good idea if you walk around here like this.” She said and after we made sure that Harry couldn’t be seen anymore, we left the street. I didn’t think it was a good idea to stay at a place for too long, even if it was unlikely that they would find us now. The others seemed to agree with me since they walked very fast as well. 

“The others – everyone at the wedding -“ Harry whispered under his cloak, but Hermione cut him off immediately.

“We can’t worry about that now. It’s you they’re after, Harry, and we’ll just put everyone in even more danger by going back.”

“She’s right.” Ron said quickly and I knew that he wanted to prevent Harry from arguing now.

“The others will be all right when they can’t find us.” I added. “Most of the Order was there, I’m sure they’re looking after everyone.” I hoped my words would calm Harry down again.

“Yeah.” If my ears wouldn’t have been that good, I didn’t think that I would have heard his response at all. I knew how worried Harry was right now. I was feeling sick by thinking of the others back at the Burrow as well. However, we couldn’t change that right now. We had to look after ourselves first and make sure that Harry was safe. But what could we do now? Where could we go? We would have to talk about that, but not here on the road. We needed a place to stay for some time, somewhere no one would expect us…

“Just as a matter of interest, why Tottenham Court Road?” Ron asked Hermione.

“I’ve no idea, it just popped into my head, but I’m sure we’re safer out in the Muggle world, it’s not where they’ll expect us to be.” Hermione answered and shrugged.

“True.” Ron said and looked around again. “But don’t you feel a bit – exposed?” He asked in an uneasy tone.

“Where else is there?” Hermione asked and raised her eyebrows. Suddenly, a few people on the other side of the road began to shout and whistle at Hermione. She tried to ignore it and I squeezed her hand. I began to feel angry immediately. Didn’t they see that we were with her? And that I was holding her hand? I breathed in deeply and tried to calm down again. I couldn’t lose control, not right now. Not this night and most important not because of some drunk Muggles. “We can hardly book rooms at the Leaky Cauldron, can we?” Hermione said and tried to act as if nothing happened. “But maybe…” She started and made a hissing noise when the man shouted at her again. “Oh, I wish they’d shut up!” She muttered and on her other side, Ron opened his mouth to shout back.

“Let’s sit down somewhere.” Hermione said quickly and looked at Ron warningly. “Look, this will do, in here!” She said and without really looking at it, she entered the next cafe. It was very small and shabby, but at least it was empty. We sat down at a table, Hermione and Ron with their backs to the entrance and Harry and I opposite them, so we could watch the door. Apparently, Hermione didn’t like her place since she turned around to look at the entrance every few seconds. I reached over the table and took her hands.

We sat there like this for a few minutes, everyone lost in thoughts. I knew that we were all thinking the same. What should we do know? Where could we go? And would we be safe? How where the others?

“We can’t go to the Leaky Cauldron or something like that.” I said when I noticed Ron’s expression. “It would be far too dangerous. Everyone would recognize us immediately and since we’re known for being with Harry…”

“They would find us.” Hermione finished my sentence and nodded. “We really can’t go there Ron.”

“But shouldn’t we find out what’s going on?” Ron asked impatiently.

“We know what’s going on! Voldemort’s taken over the Ministry, what else do we need to know?” Hermione snapped and Ron sighed.

“Ok, ok, it was just an idea!”

We fell silent again. When the waitress arrived with a bored look on her face, Hermione ordered a coffee and two cappuccinos. The waitress nodded and walked away again slowly. Suddenly, the door of the cafe opened and a pair of workmen entered. They sat down in silence. Somehow, I didn’t like their arrival. Slowly, I put a hand under the table and reached for my wand so I could get it fast.

“I say we find a quiet place to disapparate and head for the countryside.” Hermione whispered. “Once we’re there, we could send a message to the Order.”

“Can you do that talking Patronus thing?” Ron asked and I nodded.

“Of course I can, it’s not that difficult.” I whispered back. Hermione looked at me attentively.

“You have to show me how to do that.” She said and I nodded.

“No problem.”

“But wouldn’t that get the others into trouble?” Ron asked, suddenly looking worried. “I mean, they could have been arrested already.” When the waitress came back and put our cups in front of us, Ron grimaced. “That’s disgusting.” He said as soon as the waitress couldn’t hear him anymore. She had been walking to the table where the two workmen were sitting and asked them what they wanted.

However, they just waved her away. She left them with an offended look on her face. I couldn’t get rid off the feeling that something was very wrong here right now. I sat up uneasily and closed my fingers around the wand in my pocket. Over the table, Hermione raised her eyebrows at me. However, I ignored the gesture. This wasn’t the right moment for an explanation.

“Let’s get going, I don’t want to drink this muck.” Ron said next to Hermione and looked at the cup in front of him with a disgusted expression on his face. Then he turned to Hermione. “Have you got Muggle money to pay for this?”

It took Hermione a few moments to notice that he was talking to her, but then she nodded. “Yes, I took out all my building society savings before I came to the Burrow. I’ll bet all the change is at the bottom.” She sighed and reached for her bag.

Just in that moment, the two workmen made identical movements. I had been waiting for that ever since they entered the cafe, though I couldn’t explain why. So I raised my wand as well and stood up. On the other side of the room, the two men did the same. And just in that moment, I realized that I knew them. From the corner of my eyes I saw Ron pushing Hermione down on the bench. Just in time because half a second later, a spell of the Death Eaters hit the wall where Ron’s head had been seconds before.

“ _Protego_!” I yelled and next to me, I heard Harry calling “ _Stupefy_!”. Since he was still invisible, the spells of the Death Eaters had been directed at Hermione, Ron and me. That gave Harry the chance to fight back. 

The blond Death Eater was hit in the face by a jet of red light that was caused by Harry’s spell. He fell to the ground, unconscious. His companion, who thought that I had cast the spell, pointed at me with his wand. Having no time to react, I threw myself to the ground and hoped that Harry would do the same. I heard a cry – I thought it was Ron – and then someone else landed on the floor next to me. It really was Ron, bound with black ropes from head to foot. I would have liked to help him, but there was no time.

When I stood up, I saw a spell coming out of nowhere. It was directed at the Death Eater, but it missed him and rebounded on the window. It hit the waitress who had been looking around a corner anxiously. She fell to the ground. I hoped it hadn’t been a dangerous spell. I raised my wand again and pointed at the Death Eater as well. However, he was faster.

“ _Expulso_!” He cried and the table next to me blew up. Just in that moment I realized that this was the table where Harry had been standing. My heart began to beat even faster in my chest when fear and anger took over. Without further hesitation, I turned to the Death Eater and began to cast spells at him. He was able to fend off the first one, but the second hit him in the chest. He fell backwards, his head hitting the closest table. 

“ _Petrificus Totalus_!” Hermione screamed just in the moment the man tried to move again. His head sunk down onto the floor and he lay there motionless. 

I turned around and held out a hand to Hermione, who had been hiding underneath the bench. She was shaking and there were many pieces of broken glass in her hair and on her clothes. Carefully, I started to throw them to the ground. Next to us, Harry appeared out of nowhere and climbed over the broken table. He looked around darkly.

“Are you all right?” I asked and he nodded. However, Hermione made a sound that could have been a sob. I would have loved to take her into my arms right now, but it wasn’t the right moment for that. Instead, I took my wand again and pointed at Ron who was still lying on the floor. “ _Diffindo_!” The ropes around his body fell away and he got to his feet again. His skin was red where the ropes had been, but otherwise, he looked unharmed. With an angry look on his face, Ron began to shake his arms. He and Harry walked over to where the Death Eaters were lying on the floor. 

“I should’ve recognized him, he was there the night Dumbledore died.” Harry said and pointed at the blond man. Then he turned over the other man with his foot.

“It’s Dolohov. And the other one’s Rowle.” I said without looking at both of them for too long. “I didn’t pay them much attention when they entered. If I would have done it, we might have prevented all this…” I murmured, but Hermione shook her head.

“It’s not your fault.” She said softly and Harry nodded.

“Then I could say that I didn’t recognize them as well.” He said with an expression on his face that reminded me of James. He had also been this stubborn.

“So how did they find us? And what are we going to do now?” Ron asked, looking around uneasily.

This was when the look on Harry’s face turned from angry to determined. “Lock the door. And Ron, turn out the lights.” He said and while Ron searched for the Deluminator in his pockets, Hermione went to the door and closed it.

I knelt down next to Dolohov. “We have to wipe their memories, I fear.” I said and Harry nodded.

“Better than to kill them. And it’ll throw them off the scent.”

“You’re the boss.” Ron murmured and frowned. “Sirius, can you perform a Memory Charm?”

When I nodded, he rolled his eyes. “Of course you can, why did I even ask?”

I grinned at him for half a second and pointed at Dolohov with my wand. “ _Obliviate._ ” I whispered and Dolohov’s face became unfocused immediately. 

“That’s brilliant!” Harry said and looked around. “Take care of the other one and the waitress while Ron, Hermione and I clear up.”

I nodded and stood up to go to the other Death Eater.

“Clear up?” Ron asked Harry, sounding not too happy. “Why?”

“Don’t you think they might wonder what’s happened if they wake up and find themselves in a place that looks like it’s just been bombed?” Hermione asked, her voice still shaking.

“Oh right, yeah…” Ron muttered and tried to get his wand out of his pocket again.

I didn’t pay them any more attention and concentrated on Rowle. It didn’t take me long to wipe his memory as well. However, I was more careful with the waitress. Sometimes, Muggles reacted too sensitive to Memory Charms. One wrong movement with the wand and the person could believe everything. And since Muggles shouldn’t even know that we existed…

When the others had cleaned up the whole place, Harry and I took the Death Eaters back to their places. The waitress was more lying than sitting on a chair in the back of the cafe now.

“How did they find us?” Hermione asked and looked at the three of us questioningly. “How did they know we were here?”

She looked at Harry now. “You – you don’t think you’ve still got the Trace on you, do you, Harry?”

“He can’t have.” Ron said before we could react. “The Trace breaks at seventeen, that’s wizarding law, you can’t put it on an adult.” I nodded.

“As far as you know. But what if the Death Eaters have found a way?”

“It’s not possible, Hermione.” I said in a calm tone. “And besides, there hasn’t been a Death Eater close to Harry in the last twenty-four hours.”

Hermione didn’t reply, but the thoughtful expression on Harry’s face made me sigh. “You don’t have the trace on you anymore.” I repeated. “They must have found another way to track us.”

“Couldn’t it just have been a coincidence?” Ron asked and raised his eyebrows.

Harry shook his head. “There’s no way that this was an accident. They knew we were there.”

“They knew _someone_ was here.” Hermione interrupted him. “Not that it was us, I think. Or do you really think they would just sent two people to catch us?” 

“But how did they find us then? If they didn’t know that Harry was here as well.” Ron muttered and Hermione shrugged.

“We have to think about this later.” I said. “Right now, we have to decide where we’ll go from here. And we have to do it fast, I don’t want to stay here longer than necessary.”

“Why don’t we just go to Grimmauld Place?” Harry asked and looked at me questioningly. “You said it was still safe and that Snape couldn’t get in. And you and Mad-Eye have set up extra charms if he might try it.”

I hesitated for a moment. “They would expect us to go there.”

Hermione nodded. “Isn’t it a bit dangerous to go to Sirius’ house?” She asked in a nervous tone.

“Why shouldn’t we do it? They can’t get in. And they can’t see the house. And Snape can’t tell anyone where it is or how to get in. He isn’t the Secret Keeper.” Ron said and began to walk around slowly. “It’s perfect, isn’t it?” Now they were all looking at me questioningly. Hermione looked afraid, but there was hope in Ron’s and Harry’s eyes. A safe place to hide.

I still hesitated. It was true, since Dumbledore died I was the only Secret Keeper to the house. So I had to tell someone where it was before they could get in. And we had made sure that Snape couldn’t get in anymore. And Kreacher was there as well, waiting for me to come back…

I nodded. “Let’s give it a try.”


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

We didn’t apparate directly to the square in front of Grimmauld Place. I thought that it was far too dangerous, maybe someone was waiting there for us. The others didn’t argue about that and I was glad about it. This day had been eventful enough – I didn’t want any more surprises. My only purpose now was to get Harry, Ron and Hermione to a safe place.

So we appeared around a corner on the next street. Harry was wearing the Invisibility Cloak again and Hermione, Ron and I were clothed in black cloaks that weren’t too obvious at this time of the day.

Slowly, we made our way towards the house. I gestured to the others to stay behind. My sharp senses told me that they did and I was glad about it. If someone – maybe a Death Eater – was there, he wouldn’t see all of us immediately. But there wasn’t a Death Eater waiting on the square in front of Grimmauld Place. Neither was there someone else.

The square was empty and everything looked peaceful. I couldn’t hear anything except for a few cars driving on the main road behind the next row of buildings. Just to make sure that no one was there, I took my wand and murmured a few spells to find hidden people, but nothing happened. They really didn't come here yet.

Quickly, I made my way back to the others. When they saw me looking around the corner and waving at them, they looked relieved.

No one said a word when we made our way to the front door and entered the house. I realized that I had forgotten to warn the others when the door closed behind us with a soft  _click_ . I turned around. “Don’t get scared.” I whispered, however I didn’t give a further explanation at the confused looks of the others. I just turned around again to where the dust was already beginning to form a familiar figure. 

Behind my back, Hermione gasped loudly and grabbed my hand. I heard Ron inhaling sharply. Harry just remained there standing in silence. When the figure of Albus Dumbledore started to walk towards us, I took a deep breath.

“We didn’t kill you, Albus.” I said softly and during its next step, the figure disappeared again, leaving behind some dust that was flying through the air. Since I already knew what would happen next, I took my wand and pointed at the portrait on the wall. The curtains which were about to open themselves remained in their place and it remained silent. 

For a few moments, no one said a word. Then Hermione swallowed. “It was…” Her voice was shaking and she didn’t finish her sentence.

Harry nodded. “Dumbledore.” He was still staring at the spot where the figure had vanished and I couldn’t blame him for that. When I had first seen it, I had been shocked as well. Then Harry turned to me. “It was Mad-Eye, wasn’t it? Who had the idea to…” He looked at the corridor in front of us again.

I nodded. “Precautionary measure. If Snape would manage to get in here.”

“But he can’t, can he?” Ron cut in.

I shook my head. “We’ve set up too many spells for that. This was just the last one of them.”

“And he can’t tell other Death Eaters about the house as well, right?” Ron sounded anxious and I couldn’t blame him for that. “Since you’re the Secret Keeper…”

“That’s right. And even if something would happen to me and you all become Secret Keepers to the house, Snape won’t be able to say a word about it. Mad-Eye had thought of that too.”

“Don’t say that.” Hermione next to me whispered and when I looked at her with raised eyebrows, she looked down. “That something might happen to you. Don’t say that.”

I squeezed her hand. Normally, I would have argued and said that you had to think about everything soon enough, but right now, it didn’t seem right to me.

“So we’re safe here?” This time, Harry was asking the question. He had been exchanging a look with Ron and now turned to us again.

I nodded. “Safer than in most other places.” I hoped I was right about this. The Order had done everything that was possible to make this house a safe and secret place. We could just wish that we didn’t miss a detail that could destroy everything about that.

Slowly, we made our way towards the kitchen. To our surprise, there was a fire in the fireplace and it smelled as if someone had been cooking.

“Master Sirius, I didn’t expect you to come back this soon!” We all turned around immediately, just to see Kreacher walking into the kitchen. He was clad in something that looked like a white, very clean towel and there was a smile on his face. As far as I knew, I had never seen him happier than in this moment.

“And you brought more guests to the house as well!” Now he turned to Harry, Ron and Hermione. “To your services.” He said with a light bow, which made my mouth fall open. Who was this creature and what had it done to my grumpy, old house-elf?

Harry and Ron seemed to be confused as well. They looked at me with raised eyebrows and I couldn’t do anything else than to shrug. I didn’t know why he behaved like this. He had become more friendly in the past months, that was true. But not like this. He still had been a little distant. Or was this connected to my last visit when I asked him about the locket…?

Hermione, on the other hand, seemed to be thrilled by Kreacher’s change of mind. She smiled at him widely. “It’s good to see you again, Kreacher.” She said and for half a second, it looked like the elf would take a step back and insult her like he had always done. Surprisingly, he didn’t do it. His face remained calm and the smile didn’t leave his lips.

“Do you want to eat something?” He asked all of us and bowed again. “You look exhausted. I have prepared an onion soup with fresh baked bread. It should still be warm.”

We exchanged surprised looks. Ron was the first to make a decision. He smiled at Kreacher widely. “That would be great!”

* * *

After dinner, we went to the drawing room. Kreacher had told us to go upstairs since he would clean up the kitchen. It was strange to see the elf like this. My whole life, he had been like a little bat – always in a bad mood and never friendly. And now this… Albus had been right when he told me that Kreacher would change when I began to be friendly to him.

We hadn’t talked about anything in the kitchen. Everyone had been lost in thoughts and we all just enjoyed being in a safe place. It was a good feeling to know that we were safe for now.

However, I couldn’t stop myself from noticing the pained looks that appeared on Harry’s face when he thought that no one was watching him. In the drawing room, it happened again. This time, it seemed to be worse since Harry cried out in pain.

Ron, who had been standing on the window, turned around immediately. “What’s up, Harry?” When he saw that Harry was touching his scar, his eyes widened. “What did you see? Did you see him at my place?”

“No, I just felt anger – he’s really angry -“ Harry muttered, but he was interrupted by Ron again.

“But that could be at the Burrow!” Ron was talking louder now and Harry’s expression darkened. “What else? Did you see anything? Was he cursing someone?”

“No, I just felt anger – I couldn’t tell –“

Next to me, Hermione stood up from the sofa. “Your scar, again? But what’s going on? I thought that connection had closed!”

“It did, for a while.” Harry muttered and closed his eyes. “I – I think it’s started opening again whenever he loses control, that’s how it used to –“

“But then you’ve got to close your mind!” Hermione said in a shrill tone. “Harry, Dumbledore didn’t want you to use that connection, he wanted you to shut it down, that’s why you were supposed to use Occlumency! Otherwise, he can plant false images in your mind, remember –“ She stopped, noticing her mistake as well. Her eyes widened and she looked at me.

Without saying anything, I touched her hand softly. I didn’t want to think about the night we all had nearly died because Voldemort had been playing with Harry’s mind. However, I couldn’t blame Hermione for mentioning that as well. After all, it was true. He had manipulated Harry to go to the Ministry and the Death Eaters had nearly gotten the Prophecy. I also agreed with Hermione about the Occlumency – I would feel much better if I knew that Harry’s mind was safe and that he didn’t have to share moments with Voldemort.

“Yeah, I do remember, thanks.” Harry muttered now, angry by Hermione’s words. Hermione wanted to say something – I thought she wanted to apologize – but I squeezed her hand and shook my head lightly. Maybe it was the right moment to give Harry some space.

He walked through the room slowly and stopped in front of the Black family tree on the wall. I would have liked to go to him and tell him that everything was going to be all right somehow when Hermione next to me shrieked. I turned around again and at the other end of the room, Harry did the same. He even drew his wand.

It was a Patronus that had entered the drawing room through the window. In the middle of the room, it solidified into a weasel. I noticed Arthur’s Patronus immediately when it began to speak. “ _Family safe, do not reply, we are being watched._ ” 

The Patronus dissolved again and Ron groaned. He sat down on the sofa and closed his eyes. Hermione sat down next to him. “They’re all right, they’re all right!” She whispered and Ron half laughed and hugged her tightly.

Ron looked at Harry over Hermione’s shoulder. “Harry, I –“ He began, but Harry cut him off.

“It’s not a problem. It’s your family, of course you’re worried. I’d feel the same way.” He paused for a moment. “I _do_ feel the same way.” 

When Ron finally let go of Hermione, I sat down next to her. “I don’t want to be on my own. Could we use the sleeping bags I’ve brought and camp in here tonight?” She looked at me apologetically. “I mean, it’s no problem if you’d rather go to your room…”

I shook my head. “It’s okay, we can stay here together.” I said and from the corner of my eyes, I saw Harry walking to the bathroom very fast. I had a bad feeling about it. When Hermione and Ron began to search for their clothes in Hermione’s bag, I walked towards the bathroom and knocked on the door.

“Harry, are you all right?” I whispered and after a few moments of silence, the door opened. Harry was as white as a sheet and the shocked expression on his face made me sigh. “So you aren’t…” I murmured and gestured for him to follow me. Hermione and Ron were too occupied with sleeping bags, I hoped they wouldn’t even notice that we left for a few minutes.

We went to one of the guest rooms – the one the girls had used during their last visit. At the moment, I liked it most because there wasn’t a portrait on the wall that could easily listen to our conversations. Now that it had come to my mind I would have to do something about that soon…

“You don’t have to tell me what you saw.” I said as soon as Harry had closed the door behind us. “I can imagine it well enough.”

“Do you want to blame me for seeing things like that as well?” Harry muttered and I looked at him sadly.

“You know that I would never do that.” I whispered and after a few moments, Harry looked at me.

“I can’t do anything against it. It comes out of nowhere and then I can’t control it. The things I see… The things he does…” He shook his head. “I would be happy if I didn’t have to see it anymore. But the others don’t seem to understand –“

“They do. Even if it doesn’t always look like it. They’re worried for you, Harry. Just as I am. Don’t be mad at Hermione, she doesn’t want that something happens to you.”

He sighed and sat down on one of the beds. “They always say that I have to control it. As if I would be able to do it and didn’t want it or something like that. But those Occlumency lessons with Snape… I just can’t do it. I don’t know if I didn’t try hard enough or if I’m really not able to close my mind…”

I knelt down in front of the bed so that I could look him in the eyes again and placed my hands on his shoulders. “Don’t worry about that too much. Occlumency is one of the most difficult parts of magic, you can’t just learn it when you try a few times. It needs lots of practicing and you and Snape didn’t have that much time. I don’t want to say that I like you seeing all this. I would feel much better if you could close your mind and the connection between the two of you could be weakened by it. But worrying about it too much right now won’t help you as well. It will make everything even worse. And right now, we must concentrate more than ever. From now on, every step will be more dangerous than the previous one.” 

“But how can I close my mind when my scar hurts that much?” Harry asked. “Most of the times it happens, I can’t do anything anymore. I don’t even know where I am. It’s like before, in the bathroom. I just break down.” He was sounding desperate now and I tried to find the right words to say.

“You are strong enough to prevent that from happening, Harry. I know it. Try to think of something else. Something that makes you happy. And hold onto that thought with everything you have.” I really hoped that it could help him.

He frowned and was silent for some time, before he nodded slowly. “I think I’ll try that…” He muttered, however it didn’t sound too convincing. I decided to change the subject.

“Just don’t think about everything too much. You need some rest.” I stood up slowly. “Tomorrow, we’ll think about our next steps. But not tonight. Too much has happened already.”

Harry stood up as well and nodded. “It was a long day. The morning at the Burrow seems to be so far away now…”

I nodded. I thought the same. “Then let’s go back to the others. Before they notice that we’re gone.”

My hand was already at the door handle, when Harry’s voice made me turn around again.

“Sirius?”

“Yes, Harry?”

“Thank you.”

I smiled at him widely. “Don’t thank me for that.” I muttered and hugged him.


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

The first days after our arrival at Grimmauld Place seemed to be very long. Harry was walking around the house all the time and Ron couldn’t stop playing with his Deluminator. They didn’t talk very much, none of us did. We were all lost in our own thoughts.

The only one who seemed to be happy about the situation was Kreacher. He was cleaning the house, cooking food and on our second day, he even offered us a self-baked cake. To see the house-elf this happy lightened my mood a little bit. I had always pitied Kreacher for the bad circumstances he had to live in. Finally, things had changed.

However, the behavior of Harry and Ron annoyed me sometimes. When Ron didn’t play with the Deluminator, he always talked about his family. How where they? What where they doing? Did they miss us? It was infuriating. Didn’t he know that I had a family as well? One that didn’t even know me anymore? Of course Sirius had promised that we would find my parents and give them back their memories once this was over, but would we really get a chance to do that? Or wouldn’t we live long enough?

I sighed. Dark thoughts like that appeared in my mind very often since we were hiding here and tried to figure out what to do next. We knew what we had to do, knew very well who our target was. But how on earth could we get to Dolores Umbridge and take the locket from her without being seen or even captured?

We had discussed this many times since we were here, but somehow, we didn’t make any progress. There were ideas, that was true. But most of them were just stupid (Ron’s ideas), far too dangerous (Sirius) or impossible to realize (Harry). So what should we do?

I leaned back in my chair. It was the morning of the fourth day after our arrival. The others were probably still sleeping, but I always woke up this early. I knew that Sirius did too, but I couldn’t just go upstairs to his room, could I? After the second night, we had all started to sleep in different rooms since the drawing room wasn’t too comfortable. Sirius used his old room again, while Harry and Ron took the room they shared back when he came here in the holidays. However, I wasn’t too sure if they really slept in the same room. Harry was so distant lately… I knew his scar was hurting all the time. And I knew he saw things sometimes – things Voldemort did – but as soon as I wanted to talk about it, he got angry and left. Sirius said that I should give him some time and that he would calm down soon again. But would he do that? Harry was so stubborn…

“Good morning?” I nearly fell from my chair when the voice behind my back spoke. I didn’t hear any footsteps…

I turned around slowly, just to see Sirius leaning at the door. He was grinning at my reaction, even if it didn’t reach his eyes. They looked worried. I tried to smile at him as well and when he came closer, I noticed why I didn't hear him coming. He was barefoot. And when I thought about it once more, I noticed that I had never seen him like this. He didn’t wear his usual black jeans, but dark gray sweatpants and a blue t-shirt. It was a strange sight.

When he noticed my expression, he chuckled. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s my home, isn’t it?” He sat down next to me and his expression turned serious again. “Don’t think about it too much. We’ll figure it all out.” He said and took my hand.

I sighed. “You do really believe that, don’t you?” I asked and was surprised that my voice sounded very tired.

He nodded. “Of course.” Sirius said simply. “In my life, I have made a few experiences. One of them is that you don’t get very far if you aren’t confident and believe in yourself.”

“But how can we be positive in a situation like this? The Death Eaters are controlling the Ministry, everyone’s searching for us, all our friends are being watched. And we must find Horcruxes to defeat the most dangerous wizard the world has ever seen. Oh, and before I forget it, we don’t even know where the Horcruxes are! Or what they are, to be more exact.” I was starting to speak faster now, my tone becoming sharp. I really didn’t like all this. “And Harry’s seeing in _his_ mind again even if he doesn’t want to admit it. It’s dangerous! But why doesn’t he see it himself? He could get manipulated again or worse… And Ron? He doesn’t think about anything except for his family. I understand it, of course. If I wouldn’t know that my family was safe, I’d do the same. But it doesn’t help us with our problems.” Sirius opened his mouth to say something, but I held up my hand to stop him. “Let me finish first, please. Yes, it’s good that we can hide here. But it can’t stay like this forever. This morning, when I got up, I saw two cloaked men standing in the square outside the house. I don’t know how they can know about the house, but it’s obvious who they are, isn’t it? And there willl come more. They can’t get in, I know. But nevertheless… We have to make a plan. As soon as possible.” 

In the silence that followed my words, Sirius just looked at me with raised eyebrows, his mouth still open. I nodded to tell him that he could speak now.

“Hermione, I think you should calm down.” He said slowly and I would have liked to scream. Calm down! Great idea… “All the things you say are true. And we all know that, even if there’s a little tension in here now.”

He carefully touched my cheek and slowly, I started to relax again. What a bad morning… I didn't close my eyes for a long time, but when I opened them again, Sirius smiled at me. “Much better.” He murmured and kissed me. He pulled back far too soon and when he wanted to stand up, I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer again. Sirius made a surprised noise, but he didn't pull back again. Instead, he wrapped his arms around my waist and deepened the kiss. I couldn't tell how long we just sat there like this and kissed each other. I didn't even know when we'd kissed like this for the last time. Most probably back at Hogwarts, before Harry and Dumbledore left to search for the locket. And even then, there had never been an urgency like this between Sirius and me. To me, it felt like he wanted to savor every moment.

After some time, he sat up again. We were both breathing heavily and Sirius grinned. I already missed being close to him. “And now I think we should get the others and start to make a plan!”

He clapped his hands and stood up. “Kreacher?” He asked loudly and seconds later, the elf stood in front of us.

“Yes, Master Sirius?” He asked and bowed.

“Would you please get us breakfast?” Sirius asked and I was still surprised about his polite tone. “And after that, we need paper and a few pencils.”

The house-elf bowed again. “That won’t be a problem. Breakfast is nearly ready, and while you eat, I’ll get everything you need.” With a smile, the elf vanished into the cooking area again.

I smiled at Sirius. “You know how happy it makes me to see you with him like this?”

He nodded. “You say that at least ten times a day, love.”

I smiled even wider. “Just because it’s too good to be true. You know I always wanted -“

“House-elves to be respected, I know.” Sirius finished my sentence with a smile. “You already told me that.”

“She told you what? That she just loves you because you’re nice to the elf?” Ron, who entered the kitchen, asked with a grin. He was still wearing his pajamas and I rolled my eyes at that. Harry followed him, also smiling. To my surprise, he didn’t look too tired this morning. And next to me, he seemed to be the only fully clothed person in this house.

Sirius rolled his eyes as well, even if it wasn’t because of Ron’s clothes. “Breakfast will be finished soon. I hope you slept well and aren’t tired anymore because we’ve got plans to make after that.” He grinned at Harry and Ron and I chuckled since they looked at him like he lost his mind.

Just in the moment they sat down, Kreacher entered again with our breakfast. “Pancakes?” Ron asked, sounding like a little child. “That’s great, Kreacher!” He beamed at the elf who bowed again. I knew that Ron just was so nice to Kreacher because he was good at cooking, but I didn’t say anything. A fight was the last thing we needed right now.

“Did you see the two men outside on the square? It seems like they’re looking for the house.” Harry told Sirius, who nodded.

“Of course they are, even if they can’t see it.”

“But how did they find us?” Harry asked, looking frustrated now.

“I don’t think they know we’re in here.” I cut in. “They’re probably watching every house that’s got to do something with the Order or our friends.”

Next to me, Sirius nodded. “They know that I own this house so it didn’t surprise me to see them there this morning. Luckily, they can’t see and enter it. Otherwise, we would have a problem…”

“Do you think Snape told them about it?” Ron asked, his mouth full with food.

Sirius shook his head. “He can’t. Since he isn’t the Secret Keeper, he can’t talk about it. Just like you can’t tell anyone that it exists as well. And Mad-Eye also cast a few spells that made sure that Severus won’t even be able to talk about it when something happens to me and you become Secret Keepers.”

“But how can they know that he house is here then?” Harry raised his eyebrows.

“Bellatrix and Narcissa Malfoy know about this house. Or any other Death Eater could know it as well since they are all related somehow… And it’s no secret that the Black family has lived here for ages, is it?” I was looking at Sirius questioningly and he nodded.

“Or course they know that it exists. Just because I own it now and we made sure that it’s safe, it doesn’t change that.”

“So we have to be careful when we want to leave the house.” Harry muttered.

“The step on top of the stairs should be within the charms. When we disapparate there, they can’t see us.” Sirius told us and Ron looked as if it was an impossible idea.

“And when we get back, we’ll have to apparate just at that spot?” Ron asked incredulously.

Sirius just nodded as if it was the easiest thing in this world.

Ron and Harry sighed.

* * *

A few days later, I apparated on the top step outside of Grimmauld Place. I was wearing Harry’s Invisibility Cloak, but it felt strange either way. I looked over my shoulder quickly to make sure the two men on the square didn’t notice my appearance and entered the house quickly.

After I had passed Dumbledore and made sure that Mrs. Black was silent, I went to the kitchen. Sirius was sitting there, looking at a few plans on the table. When I entered the room, he looked up at me. And as always, his expression turned from tensed to relieved.

“You’re early.” He said and stood up to wrap his arms around me.

“There wasn’t much to see.” I murmured and put Harry’s Cloak on the table. “Even if I’ve got some news about her office.”

Sirius grinned. “That’s great. What did you find out?”

I sat down on the table and searched for a certain piece of paper. When I found it, I wrote a few sentences next to the plan of the Ministry. Then I made a circle around a certain room. “That’s her office.”

Sirius looked at the plan with a frown. I knew he already tried to figure out how we would get there.

Planning hadn’t been easy. After breakfast, we had discussed everything for hours before he had an idea of what we would do. And then we still had to figure out how we could do it. To my surprise, Ron had the best idea of us all. It was dangerous and even stupid. But since we didn’t have any better ideas and it was unlikely that we would get any, I had agreed to Harry, Ron and Sirius’ mad plan. Which was, in short, going into the Ministry and talking the locket from Umbridge. As easy as that. If you didn’t think of the Polyjuice Potion we would have to use and that we should at least know a little about the people we would turn into. And then there was the problem of the orientation once we were in the Ministry on which we were working now. By spying on the only left entrance of the Ministry of Magic and the people who went in and out.

We heard footsteps on the stairs and a few moments later, Harry and Ron entered the kitchen. “How was your day?” Harry asked and I shrugged.

“Boring, as always. Even if I found out something new.” I said and pointed at the piece of paper Sirius was still studying intensively.

Both Harry and Ron went to stand behind Sirius and when Ron saw what I had written, he grinned. “That’s great, Hermione!” He exclaimed and I smiled.

“Even if I didn’t do much. To be honest, they nearly ran into me while talking about all this. If I wouldn’t have noticed them in time, it could have ended badly.” I muttered and Harry shook his head. ‘Don’t say this, we know something like that would never happen to you.’ His expression said and I looked at my feet to hide a blush.

Suddenly, there was a noise that made us all jump from our seats. It was a tap on the front door, followed by metallic clicks and the grinding of a chain. The sound of someone entering the house. We all changed alarmed looks and then it happened fast. Ron took the papers on the table and ran upstairs to hide them somewhere, while Harry, Sirius and I drew our wands. Luckily, Kreacher was upstairs and cleaned the drawing room.

Sirius went to stand in front of us, his face grim. Slowly, we entered the hallway.

“ _Severus Snape_?” Moody’s voice asked and I my heart started to beat even faster. I took a deep breath. I had to stay calm now. 

“It was not I who killed you, Albus.” Said a quiet voice that sounded familiar, even if I couldn’t say why yet.

When the dust that was left of Albus Dumbledore started to vanish, Sirius pointed at the figure in front of us with his wand. With horror, I remembered the portrait of Mrs. Black. I made her fall silent quickly. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Sirius nodding as if he wanted to thank me. There were footsteps on the stairs and a moment later, Ron was standing next to me, his wand ready in his hand.

I took a step to the side to be able to look past Harry and Sirius. The man in front of us held up his hands. “Hold your fire, it’s me, Remus!” He exclaimed and slowly, Ron and I started to lower our wands. However, Sirius and Harry didn’t do the same.

“Show yourself!” Sirius demanded, his voice sounding like a bark. Remus moved forwards into the lamplight, his hands still held high in a gesture of surrender.

“I am Remus John Lupin, werewolf, you’ve called me Moony more times than one can count, Padfoot, we created the Marauder’s Map together with James and Peter, I am married to Nymphadora, usually known as Tonks and I taught you, Harry, how to produce a Patronus, which takes the form of a stag.” Remus said in a calm voice and now Sirius and Harry lowered their wands too.

“I’m sorry for this, Remus, but in times like this, you can’t trust anyone.” Sirius said and hugged Remus tightly.

“I know, that’s why I had hesitated to come here at first. And I didn’t even know for sure that you were here. It was just a try. I was lucky.” Remus looked from Sirius to the rest of us and smiled. He looked tired and there were dark rings under his eyes.

We went to the kitchen while Remus told us that they were all being watched by now. And that it was difficult to come into the house without being seen. At that, Sirius just laughed. “Don’t tell me that.” He muttered and Remus smiled.

“I’d have been here three days ago but I needed to shake off the Death Eater tailing me.” Remus told us. “So, you came straight here after the wedding?” He asked and leaned back on his chair. At that question, the mood in the room changed immediately. Remus seemed to notice that since he looked at us in alarm. 

“No, we decided to come here after we ran into a couple of Death Eaters in a cafe on Tottenham Court Road.” Harry said calmly and Remus nearly jumped off his chair.

“ _What?_ ” 

Sirius explained what happened while Remus listened, getting even paler than he already was. “But how did they find you so quickly? It’s impossible to track anyone who apparates, unless you grab hold of them as they disappear!”

“And it doesn’t seem likely they were just strolling down Tottenham Court Road at the time, does it?” Harry said.

Remus nodded and looked at Sirius. “I don’t like this…” He muttered and Sirius sighed.

“Neither do I. But we can’t change what happened, can we? I have cleaned their memories as good as possible, they shouldn’t be able to tell anyone that they found us. If we could know how they found us…” Sirius clenched his fists on the table.

“Tell us what happened after we left, we haven’t heard a thing since Ron’s dad told us the family were safe.” I said and Ron looked at me gratefully. Apparently, he didn’t want to ask that question himself.

“Well, Kingsley saved us.” Remus said. “Thanks to his warning most of the wedding guests were able to disapparate before they arrived.”

“Were they Death Eaters or Ministry people?” I asked, thinking about the plan we were starting to make. If we should tell him about it?

“A mixture, but to all intents and purposes they’re the same now.” Remus murmured. “There were a dozen of them, but they didn’t know you were there, Harry. Arthur heard a rumor that they tried to torture your whereabouts out of Scrimgeour before they killed him; if it’s true, he didn’t give you away.”

We all exchanged looks. On the faces of the others I saw my own feelings. A mixture of horror and gratefulness. Even if Scrimgeour had been a terrible man, it had been good of him to keep our secret.

“The Death Eaters searched the Burrow from top to bottom. They found the ghoul, but didn’t want to get too close. And they tried to get information about you, Harry, but of course nobody apart from the Order knew that you had been there. At the same time that they were smashing up the wedding, more Death Eaters were forcing their way into every Order-connected house. No one was killed.” Remus added quickly when he saw our expressions. “However, they were rough. They burned down Dedalus Diggle’s house and they used the Cruciatus Curse on Tonks’ family. Again, trying to find out where you went after you visited them. They’re all right.”

Sirius sighed and closed his eyes.

“The Death Eaters got through all the protective charms?” Harry asked.

“No surprise, is it?” Sirius asked back and Remus looked at his best friend in silence. “The Death Eaters have the Ministry by their side now. They’ve got all the power and no one can hold them back anymore.”

“Maybe you want to see this as well.” Remus muttered and pulled out a folded copy of the _Daily Prophet_. Suddenly, I asked myself why I didn’t have the idea to take a newspaper this morning as well. It would have made many things easier for us. I sat up to have a closer look at the paper and I regretted it immediately. There was a photograph of Harry filling the front page. _Wanted for questioning about the death of Albus Dumbledore_.

I hissed and next to me, Sirius made a sound like a growl.

“I’m sorry, Harry.” Remus whispered, looking at him sadly.

“So Death Eaters have taken over the _Prophet_ as well?” I asked furiously and Remus nodded. Under the table, I felt Sirius squeezing my hand. 

“But surely people realize what’s going on?”

“The coup has been smooth and virtually silent. The official version of Scrimgeour’s murder is that he resigned, he has been replaced by Pius Thicknesse, who is under the Imperius Curse.”

“Why didn’t he declare himself Minister for Magic?” Ron asked and now Remus and Sirius laughed.

“He doesn’t need to, Ron. Effectively he _is_ the Minister, but why should be sit behind a desk when there is someone else who can do that for him?” Remus asked. 

“That gives him the freedom to do what he wants.” Sirius muttered and Harry nodded.

“Of course many people suspect what really happened, but what can they do about it? It’s risky to say the wrong things from now on.” Remus explained and after that, he showed us something else.

It was called  _Muggle-born Register_ and it was one of the most disgusting things I had ever seen. We didn’t talk about it for a long time and I was glad about it. It made me sick to hear all this. 

Suddenly, Remus changed the topic again. “I’ll understand if you can’t confirm this, Harry, but the Order is under the impression that Dumbledore left you a mission.” He exchanged a look with Sirius and his expression told me that they had discussed this before. Sirius didn’t look very happy.

“He did. And Hermione, Ron and Sirius are coming with me.” Harry explained.

“Can you confide in me what the mission is?”

The growl of Sirius made Harry turn to him. “We’ve talked about this before, Remus.” He muttered and it was obvious that he tried to hold back his anger.

Harry turned back to Remus and ignored the words of his godfather. “I can’t Remus, I’m sorry. If Dumbledore didn’t tell you, I don’t think I can.” He said calmly.

“I thought you’d say that.” Remus said with a disappointed look on his face. “And don’t say ‘I told you so’. Please, just don’t.” He was silent for a few moments and I could see that he was trying to find another way to persuade us to tell him everything. But why?

“Why are you here?” I asked and Remus looked at me, confused. “You seem like you want to come with us. And I don’t understand why.”

“I could help you.” He said and wanted to go on, but I interrupted him.

“What about Tonks?”

Now Remus looked even more confused. Next to me, Sirius’ expression became more alarmed. “What about her?”

“You’re married! Doesn’t she have to say anything about you going away with us?”

“Remus, what’s going on?” Sirius asked. “You wanted to tell me for weeks what happened. Maybe this is the right moment.”

Remus looked at Sirius with a pleading look on his face. “It’s just…” He hesitated for a long time before he sighed and continued. “Tonks is going to have a baby.” He said it as if it was the worst thing in this world. However, I ignored that right now.

“Oh, how wonderful!”

“Excellent!” Ron exclaimed and Harry smiled.

“Congratulations!”

Remus smiled, even if it looked more like a grimace. And suddenly I noticed that Sirius didn’t say a thing. He just looked at Remus in silence, frowning. “You want to leave her and run away with us.” Sirius said in a calm voice – a little too calm, I thought – and Remus looked as if his friend had beaten him.

“Her family will look after her, she’ll be safe there.”

“Why?” Sirius asked and shook his head. “Why would you do something like that?”

“I – I made a grave mistake in marrying Tonks. I did it against my better judgment and I have regretted it very much ever since.”

“So you’re just going to dump her and the kid and run off with us?” Harry asked and he sounded very angry. Apparently, he hit a point. Remus jumped to his feet and his chair fell to the floor. He looked at us with a furious expression on his face. Next to me, Sirius stood up slowly as well. And suddenly I understood why Sirius and James had decided to become the Animagi they were. Because right now, Remus really seemed to be a werewolf. It was the first time that I saw him lose control like this and it scared me. When I looked at Sirius again, I noticed that he seemed to be ready to defend us.

“Don’t you understand what I’ve done to my wife and my unborn child? I should never have married her, I’ve made her an outcast!” Remus cried and kicked the chair aside.

“Remus…” Sirius said slowly, but Remus ignored him.

“You have only seen me among the Order, or under Dumbledore’s protection at Hogwarts. Only Sirius knows how wizards treat creatures like me! They can barely look at me when they know of my affliction! Don’t you see what I’ve done?” He wanted to go on, but suddenly, Sirius slammed his hand down onto the table.

“Remus, you have to calm down!” He said in a loud and calm voice. “You have to calm down and think about all this again!”

First, I thought that Remus didn’t understand him. But then he closed his eyes and started to breathe deeply. However, he didn’t sit down again and neither did Sirius.

“So you think you made a mistake.” Sirius said and Remus nodded.

“And that’s what you wanted to tell me?” Sirius continued and Remus sighed.

“I wanted your advice.” He admitted. “I don’t know what I should do anymore.”

“So you just decided to run away from your problems?” I asked, but regretted it immediately. For a moment, Remus’ face darkened again.

“Apparently. It would be the easiest way.”

“And a huge mistake.” Sirius said and began to talk towards the door. “Why don’t we go upstairs and talk about it? Just you and me. I’m sure we’ll find a solution.”

Without noticing us anymore, they went upstairs. Harry, Ron and I exchanged looks, but no one said a word. Two hours later, we heard the front door and Sirius came into the kitchen again, telling us that Remus had left to go back to his family. Somehow, I had the feeling that we would never know what they had talked about.


	50. Chapter 50

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The days at Grimmauld Place passed and I had the feeling that our trip to the Ministry got closer as well. We had all the information we needed and now the last thing to decide was when we would do it.

After the visit of Remus about two weeks ago, the others had tried to find out what we had been talking about upstairs. After everything Remus had said and his outburst, they didn’t understand why he had decided to go back to Tonks in the end. And for me, it was difficult to explain how I persuaded him to do it. So I had just remained silent when they asked their questions and told them that we had a long conversation about it.

And it was true. It hadn’t been easy to tell my friend that his family needed him. To clarify that he had to be there for them, especially now when the Death Eaters were controlling everything. Even Hogwarts, which we found out a few days ago, when I could steal a newspaper from a woman who just left the Ministry.  _Severus Snape confirmed as Hogwarts headmaster_ . That had been the headline and the article had been even worse, explaining that the Carrows would teach Defence Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies from now on. 

I knew that the others weren’t happy about my silence concerning my conversation with Remus. Especially Hermione was hurt because I didn’t tell her. But this time, it didn’t seem right to tell them. Somehow, I felt like I would betray Remus after Harry had been so mean to him. After a few days, the others had stopped asking and I was glad about it. Maybe I would tell them someday, but not now. We had other things to worry about.

There was the sound of the front door opening and after a few moments, Harry came into the kitchen where I was sitting. He put his Invisibility Cloak and his wand – he had used it to make the portrait in the corridor fall silent again – on the table and sat down. “There are many Death Eaters watching the house.” He said after a few moments of silence and I nodded.

“Did you expect anything different? You know which date it is today.” I stood up slowly and stretched myself. I had been sitting there far too long. But I also didn’t want to be upstairs in the drawing room when Ron and Hermione were fighting because of the Deluminator and his habit of playing with it.

Harry nodded, a grim expression on his face. “How could I forget that?” He muttered and I knew that he didn’t like having to stay here while all the other students were on their way to Hogwarts now. But would it still be like Hogwarts when Snape was Headmaster and Death Eaters were teaching there?

“You miss it.” I said simply and Harry looked up again, he seemed to be surprised.

“Of course, I do! It was the first place I could call home and where I had friends. Wouldn’t you miss it as well?”

“Oh believe me, Harry, I _have_ missed it when we finished school. Very much, to be honest. The times at Hogwarts couldn’t be replaced by anything that has happened in my life afterwards. But if I think about it again, my life hadn’t been too pleasant at all. Considering that I spent a long time of it in Azkaban…” I sat down again and Harry looked at me with a thoughtful expression on his face. “The times with James, Remus and Peter at Hogwarts were great. We were happy there. After that, our lives became dark and dangerous and there was this constant fear that anything might happen to someone you love… Yes, we all missed it, I think.” I finished my little speech and smiled at Harry. “And I understand why you do it as well.” 

It seemed as if Harry just wanted to say something when we heard footsteps on the stairs. Hermione and Ron entered the kitchen. It seemed as if they had stopped fighting since Ron was grinning widely and Hermione had a very self-satisfied look on her face.

“Hey Harry, you’re back already?” Ron asked and sat down. “Hermione just had a brilliant idea!” He said and now we turned to look at her questioningly.

“What did you do?” Harry asked and Hermione smiled. Somehow, I had the feeling that she also looked like this when a teacher at Hogwarts had praised her.

“I packed something else into my bag. I thought it could be helpful, but it could also safe us from more trouble, because- “ Hermione started, but Ron interrupted her with an impatient look on his face.

“What she wants to say is that she took the picture of Phineas Nigellus and packed it into her bag.” Ron said simply and Hermione crossed her arms. If looks could cause someone physical pain Ron would be screaming by now, I thought.

“So that he can’t spy on this house for Snape?” Harry guessed and Hermione nodded, smiling widely.

“If Snape wants him to look inside this house now, all Phineas Nigellus will be able to see is the inside of my handbag.” She said and I had to grin as well.

“Very good idea!” I said and wondered why I hadn’t thought about it as well.

Hermione sat down next to me and threw her handbag onto the table. “What happened today, Harry?” She asked and Harry shrugged.

“Nothing. Watched the Ministry entrance for seven hours. No sign of her. Saw your dad, Ron. He looks fine.” Harry told us and Ron nodded, relieved that his father was alright. We had seen him entering the Ministry before, but we had all agreed that it was far too dangerous to communicate with Arthur. He was surrounded by other employees of the Ministry and the risk that we would be noticed was too high.

“Dad always told us most Ministry people use the Floo Network to get to work. That’s why we haven’t seen Umbridge, she’d never walk, she’d think she’s too important.”

“And what about that funny old witch and that little wizard in the navy robes?” Hermione asked.

“Oh, yeah, the bloke from Magical Maintenance.” Ron said and Hermione raised her eyebrows slowly. Just in this moment, Kreacher entered the kitchen to bring us a soup. When he noticed that we were talking, he just put the plates down in front of us and vanished with a silent bow.

“How do you know he works for Magical Maintenance?” Hermione asked now and took her spoon.

“Dad said everyone from Magical Maintenance wears navy blue robes.” Ron said simply and I would have liked to sigh. Why did he tell us about it now? It would have been good to know it right from the beginning. But even if we had tried to question Ron as good as possible, there had always been little details which he had forgotten – which meant that Hermione had to correct our papers very often.

“But you never told us that!” Hermione shrieked now and Ron began to eat his soup with an apologetic look on his face. In the meantime, Hermione tried to find something about blue robes in our plans. However, she didn’t find anything. With an annoyed expression, she added the new information.

Now Ron and Hermione started to fight about the importance of the information concerning the blue robes. I saw the absent-minded look on Harry’s face and wondered what he might be thinking when he interrupted the others.

“I think we should do it tomorrow.” He said and Hermione fell silent immediately while Ron choked over his soup.

“Tomorrow?” Hermione repeated and her tone showed that she couldn’t believe what she just heard. “You aren’t serious, Harry?”

“I am.” Harry said simply. “I don’t think we’re going to be much better prepared than we are now even if we skulk around the Ministry entrance for another month. The longer we put it off, the further away that locket could be. There’s already a good chance Umbridge has chucked it away, the thing doesn’t open.”

“Unless she’s found a way of opening it and she’s now possessed.” Ron suggested.

“Wouldn’t make any difference to her, she was so evil in the first place.” Harry shrugged and turned to me now. “What do you think about it, Sirius? We know everything important. So what could go wrong?”

“Many things.” I replied immediately. “But I’ve been thinking about it as well. We can’t stay here and wait forever. We’ve collected information for weeks now, you’re right when you say that we won’t find out much more.” And to be honest, I hated just sitting here and not being able to do anything.

“We know they’ve stopped apparation in and out of the Ministry.” Harry continued. “We know only the most senior Ministry members are allowed to connect their homes to the Floo Network now because Ron heard those two Unspeakables complaining about it. And we know roughly where Umbridge’s office is, because of what you heard that bearded bloke saying to his mate –“

“’ _I’ll be up on Level One, Dolores wants to see me.’_ ” Hermione recited immediately. 

“Exactly.” Harry said. “And we know you get in using those funny coins or whatever they are, because I saw that witch borrowing one from her friend –“

“But we haven’t got any!” Hermione said.

“If the plan works, we’ll get them.” I said and Hermione sighed.

“I don’t know… There are so many things that could go wrong…” Hermione muttered and stared into her soup.

“We all know that, Hermione. But the time won’t change that.” I squeezed her free hand. I looked around just to see that Ron was just as scared as Hermione. I didn't expect anything else. Harry tried to look calm, but I knew my godson well enough to see the doubt in his eyes. Somehow, I didn’t feel too good about the idea of going to the Ministry as well – I had the feeling that something terrible was going to happen – but we didn’t have a choice. And everything was better than sitting here and doing nothing. That wouldn’t stop Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The longer we waited now, the worse everything would get. From what Harry had told me, Voldemort became more dangerous with every passing day that they didn’t find us. And that’s why we should start moving, getting the Horcruxes and destroying them, that’s what we had to do now. That’s what Albus wanted us to do. 

“All right, let’s say we go for it tomorrow…” Ron started hesitantly and looked at Hermione for half a second. “I think it should just be me, Harry and Sirius.” 

“Oh, don’t start that again!” Hermione sighed. “I thought we’d settled this.” And to be honest, we had discussed it many times. I also thought that it was very dangerous when Hermione came with us, but she wouldn’t hear a single word about her staying here. She was part of the group and that’s why she would come with us, even if that meant going into the Ministry. After the tenth time we had discussed this, I had given up with a sigh and hoped that I would be able to protect her as good as possible.

“We have.” I cut in quickly. “So don’t start with it again. All of you.” I looked from Ron to Hermione and after a few moments of silence, they both nodded.

“But it we all go, we have to disapparate separately.” Ron said. “We don’t all fit under the Cloak.”

While Ron was speaking, I noticed the pained expression on Harry’s face. I knew his scar was hurting again.

“You forget that Sirius has a cloak as well.” Hermione explained. “Dumbledore gave it to him, it might be not as good as Harry's, but we can disapparate under it as well.”

Suddenly, Harry stood up. He murmured something about the bathroom and left the kitchen. Hermione watched him suspiciously and I knew that she thought the same as I did. “His scar again?” She asked and I nodded.

“I think so.” I whispered back.

Kreacher came into the kitchen again and began to move away our plates. When he saw that Harry hadn’t finished his soup, I told Kreacher that he could take the plate anyhow.

After a few moments of silence, Hermione stood up. She walked towards the stairs, but I stopped her quickly. “I’ll go and see how he feels.” I said quickly and walked upstairs, ignoring the unhappy look on her face. I knew that she would have loved to tell Harry that this had to stop.

When I had nearly reached the bathroom, I heard Harry scream. With two more steps I was at the door. “Harry?” I said loudly and started to knock on the door. I heard the footsteps of Hermione and Ron behind me.

“Harry, open up!” Hermione shouted, now standing next to me.

Slowly, the door opened and Harry looked at us. He was far too pale.

“What where you doing?” Hermione asked immediately and I didn’t know if she sounded worried or angry.

“What do you think I was doing?” Harry asked, sounding tired.

“You were yelling your head off!” Ron said.

Before Harry could reply anything, I gestured for him to sit down. “We know your scar was hurting, Harry.” I said and knelt next to him. “You don’t have to tell us what you saw if you don’t want to.” I looked over my shoulder at Hermione. ‘And we won’t blame him for this!’ my expression told her. She seemed to understand since she just sighed and shook her head.

“He… He just murdered a woman. And by now, I think he’s killed her whole family. And he didn’t need to. It was Cedric all over again, they were just _there_ …” Harry’s voice broke and I hugged him. 

“It’s all right.” I muttered. “Don’t let this get to close to you, please, Harry.”

When I let go again, Harry sighed. “I want to know why he’s after Gregorovitch.”

“Who?” Ron, who was still standing at the door, asked.

“He’s a foreign wandmaker.” Harry explained. “He made Krum’s wand and Krum reckons he’s brilliant.”

“But according to you, he’s got Ollivander locked up somewhere. If he’s already got a wandmaker, what does he need another one for?”

“Maybe he agrees with Krum, maybe he thinks Gregorovitch is better… or else he thinks Gregorovitch will be able to explain what my wand did when he was chasing me because Ollivander didn’t know.” Harry’s expression was thoughtful now and I was thinking about it as well. Why did he need a wandmaker? What was he looking for?

“Harry, you keep talking about what your wand did.” Hermione said slowly. “But _you_ made it happen! Why are you so determined not to take responsibility for your own powers?” 

“Because I know it wasn’t me! And so does he, Hermione! We both know what really happened!”

Hermione had crossed her arms now and I knew that she was already collecting arguments for her point of view. But before I could tell them that they didn’t have to fight because of this, Ron already told them to stop.

“Drop it.” He said to Hermione. “It’s up to him. And if we’re going to the Ministry tomorrow, don’t you reckon we should go over the plan?”

Hesitantly, Hermione nodded. Slowly, the two of them went to the kitchen again. I stayed in the bathroom with Harry for a few more moments.

“How are you feeling?” I asked. He was still very pale.

“Tired.” He replied. “And it’s annoying that she’s always looking at me accusingly when something like this happens. It’s like Hermione doesn’t understand that I can’t control it.”

I stood up and held out a hand. Harry took it and I helped him to get up as well. “Don’t be mad at her. She just wants you to be safe. And for her, that’s impossible when you always see into his head.”

“But it’s not like…” Harry stopped and shook his head. “I don’t think he knows I’m there.”

I nodded slowly. “I hope you’re right.” I muttered before we went to the kitchen as well.

It would be a very long evening.

* * *

Hours later, we'd finally decided to stop planning. We'd discussed everything we would do the next morning about ten times by now and none of us could concentrate anymore. Harry and Ron were already on their way upstairs and I smiled at Hermione. “Sleep well.” I kissed her on the cheek and wanted to turn to the stairs, but she grabbed my hand and stopped me.

“I don't want to be alone tonight.” Her voice was barely a whisper and when I turned to her again, I saw that there was an insecure expression on her face. But there was also something else in her eyes. Was it fear? Could it be possible that she had the same uneasy feeling I did about all this? The feeling that something terrible was going to happen?

“Then let's go.” I smiled and held out my hand.

After a few moments of hesitation, Hermione took it. We didn't need to discuss that we would go to my room. I knew she'd never been up there and my lips twitched at the curious look on her face.

Before she climbed into bed next to me, she hesitated again. But as soon as I wrapped my arms around her, she relaxed with a sigh. It was a good feeling, to have her in my arms like this. In all this time together, we didn't sleep in the same bed even a single night.

“I have a bad feeling about this.” Hermione whispered.

“Everything will be fine, love.” I whispered reassuringly.

“You don't believe that. I saw the look on your face today when you thought that no one was looking. Something bothers you.” She really noticed everything.

“You're the smartest witch I know.” I noted.

“Don't change the subject.” She turned around in my arms so she was facing me. “I'm scared, Sirius.”

I sighed. “I have a bad feeling as well.” I admitted. “But that's everything it is. A feeling. We're all stressed because this comes so sudden. I'm sure that's all.”

“And if it isn't?”

I touched her cheek carefully. “Don't worry, love. We'll all be fine. Just wait and see. Tomorrow, we'll have a Horcrux. Then we'll be one step closer to ending all this.”

“I hope you're right.” She whispered.

“I love you.” I changed the subject and leaned in to kiss her.

“I love you too.” She said when we drew back.

“Now sleep, Hermione. Tomorrow, we'll need all our strength.”

Soon, her breathing became more regularly and she drifted off to sleep. However, I was lying awake for some time, Hermione in my arms. Somehow, I had the feeling that I wouldn't get the chance to be so close to her again for some time.


	51. Chapter 51

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just because I'm curious, has anyone read the story up to this chapter so far? 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

It was risky, our plan. We all knew that very well. It didn’t surprise me that the others looked rather unhappy when we had breakfast the next morning. I smiled at Kreacher who gave me a cup with coffee, even if I was worried too. There were so many things that could go wrong today.

Next to me, Hermione was looking into her bag for the third time in ten minutes. She was really nervous and when she took a sip of her coffee, her hands were shaking. Just a little bit, but I noticed the movement either way. However, I didn’t say anything. I just took her hand and squeezed it. Hermione looked at me gratefully before she started to look over the plan again.

After breakfast, we looked through our clothes one last time. “Everything should be there, Polyjuice Potion, the Invisibility Cloaks, the Robes…” Hermione listed while Harry and Ron nodded from time to time. I turned to Kreacher who was cleaning the kitchen.

“We should be back in the evening.” I told him. “If we don’t return, I want you to stay here and don’t let anybody in. Even if it’s a member of the Order. And don’t tell anyone what we’ve done the past weeks.”

Kreacher nodded and bowed. “As you wish, Master Sirius. I will stay here and wait for your return. No one will enter the house. And I won’t say anything about your plans if someone asks.”

I nodded contentedly. “That’s great, thank you Kreacher.” I smiled at the elf one last time before I followed the others towards the front door.

“Do you really think that we might not return?” Harry whispered. Apparently, he had heard what I said to Kreacher.

“I hope everything will be all right and that we can come here again, but who knows what might happen?” I asked back and shrugged. “It’s better to be prepared for everything. And now that Kreacher won’t say anything, we don’t have to worry about this.”

Harry nodded slowly. “I just hope nothing goes wrong…” He muttered before he and Ron vanished under the Invisibility Cloak.

When they had disapparated, I turned to Hermione. “I’m going to seal the door when we’re out. Just in case something happens.”

She paled, but nodded. “That’s a good idea.” She whispered and together, we left the house.

* * *

When we arrived in the alleyway where we would start our plan, Hermione took a deep breath. “So here we go…” She muttered and checked her watch. “She ought to be here in about five minutes. When I’ve stunned her –“ She began, but Ron just rolled his eyes.

“Hermione, we know. And I thought we were supposed to open the door before she got here?”

Hermione squealed, but I had already pointed my wand at it and the fire door which led to an empty theater opened with a crash. “And yes, we put on the Cloaks now, we know.” I whispered to Hermione who had already opened her mouth. She was really nervous now and I would have loved to wrap my arms around her and say that everything was going to be all right. But that would be a lie, we all knew it. After all, we were going to the Ministry, one of the most dangerous places for us. Especially for Harry. 

We waited, hidden under the two Invisibility Cloaks until a little Ministry witch with gray hair apparated in the alleyway. Under the Cloak, Hermione raised her wand and her silent Stunning Spell hit the witch in her chest. She fell to the ground and Harry and Ron took off her Cloak. Together, they carried her into the dark passageway behind the fire door. When Hermione and I followed them inside, Ron was already looking through the witch’s handbag.

“She’s Mafalda Hopkirk.” Ron said, reading out a small card that identified her as an assistant in the Improper Use of Magic Office. “You’d better take this, Hermione, and here are the tokens.” Ron said and handed Hermione the card together with a few golden coins with the letters M.O.M. on them. Hermione drank the Polyjuice Potion and within seconds, the double of Mafalda Hopkirk stood in front of us. Hermione put on Mafalda’s spectacles while I checked my watch again.

“We’re running late, Mr. Magical Maintenance will be here any second.” Harry said and I nodded.

We closed the door and hid under the Invisibility Cloaks again. Hermione, now as Mafalda Hopkirk, remained standing in the alleyway and waited for our next target to appear. However, she didn’t have to wait long until the next wizard arrived. When he noticed Hermione, a surprised expression appeared on his face.

“Oh, hello, Mafalda.”

“Hello! How are you today?” Hermione asked, smiling at the man in front of her.

“Not so good, actually.” The wizard replied and now I noticed that he looked pretty bad. There were dark rings under his eyes and I didn’t think that he slept very much the previous night. It needed some persuasion from Hermione until the wizard took the sweets she was offering. The effect would have made Fred and George very proud.

As soon as the pastille touched his tongue, the little wizard started vomiting so hard that he did not even notice as Hermione yanked a handful of hairs from the top of his head. “Oh dear!” Hermione said as the man sank to his knees. “Perhaps you’d better take the day off!”

“No – no!” The man choked and tried to stand up again. “I must – today – must go –“

“But that’s just silly!” Hermione said. “You can’t go to work in this state – I think you ought to go to St. Mungo’s and get them to sort you out!”

The wizard collapsed again, but he tried to crawl towards the main street either way. “You simply can’t go to work like this!” Hermione cried again. This time, the wizard seemed to accept the truth of her words. He stopped crawling and tried to stand up. Hermione helped him with it and as soon as he was standing again, he disapparated.

Hermione sighed. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to stun him as well?” She muttered and looked at the ground with a disgusted expression on her face.

“Yes, but I still think that a whole pile of unconscious bodies would have drawn more attention. Keen on this job, though, isn’t he? Chuck us the hair and the Potion, then.” Ron said and looked through the wizard’s bag quickly. He drank the Polyjuice Potion Hermione handed him and within two minutes, Ron stood in front of them, wearing the navy-blue robes.

“Weird he wasn’t wearing them today, wasn’t it, seeing how much he wanted to go? Anyway, I’m Reg Cattermole, according to the label in the back.” Ron said and shrugged.

Now Hermione turned to Harry and me. “You’ll stay under the Cloaks while we’ll get the two others. They should be here soon.” She said and checked her watch again. And she was right, after a few minutes, two more wizards appeared in the alleyway. This time, Hermione and Ron just stunned them. The incident with Reg Cattermole had been too disgusting and it also had taken too long. 

The next two wizards were a very different couple. We had always thought that they just arrived here at the same time and didn’t know each other very well since they never spoke. One of them was very tall, had curly hair and a beard. I thought he was more a Death Eater than an employee of the Ministry, but I kept my thoughts to myself. Harry turned into him, which left the other wizard for me.

He wasn’t very tall, maybe a little shorter than I was myself. His hair was blond and he had brown eyes. In his bag, I found a small card together with the coins to enter the Ministry. “Seems like I’m Gordon Brown and I’m working in the Department of Magical Transportation.” I said and looked at the others. When I was wearing the robe I found in Gordon’s bag, we started to walk towards the entrance of the Ministry which was – to be exact – an underground public toilet.

It was strange, entering the Ministry this way. One moment, we were standing in a toilet and then we came out of a fireplace in the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic. The Atrium seemed to be very dark, even darker than I remembered it. And in my memories, it had already looked pretty bad here, if you considered that Voldemort had tried to kill Harry here and we all nearly died.

The golden fountain that had been standing in the center of the hall once had vanished. Now there was a black statue which showed a witch and a wizard sitting on hundreds of Muggles. They looked down at the people coming out of the fireplaces and at the base of the statue, there were words engraved in the stone. MAGIC IS MIGHT. I would have loved to scream right now.

A man appeared next to me and it took me a moment to realize that it was Harry. Suddenly, another wizard accidentally brushed past Harry. “Out of the way, can’t y – oh, sorry, Runcorn!” The man said quickly and hurried away with a frightened expression on his face.

Harry looked after the man with a surprised expression on his face. “What was that?” He whispered and Sirius shrugged.

“I always thought he rather looked like a Death Eater than someone who just worked here.” I whispered so that no one else could hear it.

Suddenly, I noticed the little, gray-haired witch and the wizard in the navy-blue robes standing on the other side of the statue. I gestured for Harry to follow me and together, we walked to the others. Hermione still looked stressed and couldn’t stop glancing at the statue.

“It’s horrible, isn’t it?” She whispered and next to me, Harry nodded.

“Muggles. In their rightful place.” The anger in Hermione’s voice was obvious. “Come on, let’s get going.”

We followed the other wizards and witches towards the golden gates at the end of the hall. The others tried to hide that they were looking around as good as possible. I knew that they were looking for Umbridge, but somehow, I doubted that we would meet her in a place like this. And there was also this fear that we might get separated… We had talked about it as well and everyone knew what he should do then, but I didn’t like the thought either way.

In the next, smaller hall, the Ministry employees were standing in queues in front of many lifts. We joined the queue that was closest to the entrance, when a voice behind us said “Cattermole!”

We looked around quickly, just to see a man walking towards us. Of course he was a Death Eater. Suddenly, the other people standing close to us fell silent. They all watched the scene in front of them and when they recognized the Death Eater, they looked to the ground. “Morning, Yaxley!” A man next to me said, but Yaxley just ignored him. Instead, he turned to Ron with an angry look on his face.

“I requested somebody from Magical Maintenance to sort out my office, Cattermole. It’s still raining in there.”

Ron looked as if he hoped that someone else would say something, but nobody did. “Raining… in your office? That’s – that’s not good, isn’t it?” He laughed nervously and Yaxley’s eyes widened.

“You think that’s funny, Cattermole, do you?”

“No, of course not –“ Ron began, but Yaxley interrupted him.

“You realize that I am on my way downstairs to interrogate your wife, Cattermole? In fact, I’m quite surprised you’re not down there holding her hand while she waits. Already given her up as a bad job, have you? Probably wise. Be sure and marry a pure-blood next time.” Next to me, Hermione squeaked in horror. When Yaxley turned to her, she coughed and turned away. I understood what she was feeling right now. It was difficult for me to hold back and not to curse Yaxley. So this was why Cattermole wanted to go to work today. His wife was here and apparently, she was in trouble.

“But if _my_ wife were accused of being a Mudblood – not that any woman I married would ever be mistaken for such filth – and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement needed a job doing, I would make it my priority to do that job, Cattermole. Do you understand me?” 

“Yes.” Ron whispered.

“Then attend to it, Cattermole, and if my office is not completely dry within an hour your wife’s Blood Status will be in even graver doubt than it is now.” Without another word, Yaxley turned away and went to another lift. We looked at each other in silence. When the next lift was free, we entered it. After Ron’s conversation with Yaxley, it didn’t surprise me that no one followed us.

“What am I going to do?” Ron asked as soon as we were alone. “If I don’t turn up, my wife – I mean, Cattermole’s wife –“

“We’ll come with you, we should stick together.” Harry said, but Ron shook his head.

“That’s mental, we haven’t got much time. You three find Umbridge, I’ll go and sort out Yaxley’s office – but how do I stop it raining?” Ron asked, a panicked look on his face.

“Try _Finite Incantatem_.” Hermione and I said at the same time. We looked at each other and I grinned. “That should stop raining if it’s a hex or curse; if it doesn’t, something’s gone wrong with an Atmospheric Charm, which will be more difficult to fix, so as an interim measure try _Impervius_ to protect belongings –“ Hermione continued, but Ron just shook his head.

“Say it again, slowly –“ He began, but was interrupted when the lift suddenly stopped.

“Level Four, Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, incorporating Beast, Being and Spirit Divisions, Goblin Liaison Office and Pest Advisory Bureau.” A female voice said and the door of the lift opened. A few wizards and several pale violet paper aeroplanes that were flying through the air entered the lift.

“Morning, Albert.” A man who had just entered the lift said to Harry. He glanced at Hermione, Ron and me. Ignoring Ron and Hermione, he nodded towards me. “Good to see you again, Gordon.” Before I could reply something, he had already turned to Harry again and said something about Dirk Cresswell. However, I didn’t listen to him. I turned to Hermione and Ron. She was giving him instructions for the raining bureau. 

“Try _meteolojinx recanto_ as well.” I whispered and Ron nodded, even if he looked frustrated. “That should work if the others don’t.” Hermione glanced at me and muttered something like ‘How does he always know those things?’.

Then the lift stopped once more. “Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services.” The voice of the witch said. Hermione and Harry gave Ron a little push and he left the lift quickly, followed by the other wizards.

Now the three of us were alone in the lift. “Actually, I think I’d better go after him, I don’t think he knows what he’s doing and if he gets caught the whole thing –“ Hermione began, but she was interrupted by the voice of the witch. “Level One, Minister for Magic and Support Staff.”

The doors of the lift opened again and Hermione gasped. Four people were standing in front of us. Two of them talked to each other – a long-haired wizard wearing black and golden robes and a little witch with short hair, who was clutching a clipboard to her chest.

We recognized her immediately.


	52. Chapter 52

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

“Ah, Mafalda!” Umbridge said, looking at Hermione. “Travers sent you, did he?”

“Y – yes.” Hermione murmured.

“Good, you’ll do perfectly well.” Umbridge said, looking at the wizard next to her in the black and golden robes. Now I recognized him, it was Pius Thicknesse, the new Minister of Magic. “That’s that problem solved, Minister, if Mafalda can be spared for record-keeping we shall be able to start straight away.” She looked at her clipboard. “Ten people today and one of them the wife of a Ministry employee! Even here, in the heart of the Ministry!” Umbridge stepped into the lift beside Hermione, who looked at me unhappily. The two other wizards followed Umbridge into the lift. I stepped out of it quickly and walked a few steps. Pius Thicknesse didn’t seem to notice me, he was still listening to Dolores Umbridge. “We’ll go straight down, Mafalda, you’ll find everything you need in the courtroom. Good morning, Albert, aren’t you getting out?” Umbridge turned to Harry now.

I would have loved to curse her. If they took Hermione with them, we would separate even more. But we didn’t have a choice, did we? Slowly, Harry stepped out of the lift. Before the doors closed, I noticed two things. The first was Hermione’s anxious face, which made my heart stop for a moment. The second was the golden locket around Umbridge’s neck.

“What brings you here, Runcorn?” The new Minister of Magic asked Harry and raised his eyebrows.

“Needed a quick word with Arthur Weasley.” Harry said hesitantly. “Someone said he was up on Level One.”

“Ah.” Thicknesse said, a knowing look on his face. “Has he been caught having contact with an Undesirable?”

“No.” Harry said immediately. “No, nothing like that.” He looked to me for half a second. Thicknesse noticed it since he turned to me too.

“Ah, well. It’s only a matter of time. If you ask me, the blood traitors are as bad as Mudbloods.” Thicknesse said to Harry, before he frowned at me. After his last words, I was breathing in deeply. I couldn’t lose control. Especially not now. “And why are you here, Gordon? Did Ben have a question about your report concerning the floo network and sent for you?”

I nodded, not knowing what else I should do.

The Minister sighed. “He’s always so critical. Don’t let that upset you. I think the report was good. As well as your work.”

It took me a few seconds to realize that the Minister just praised the work Gordon had done. I tried to look pleased. “Thank you, it means a lot to me to hear this from you, Minister.” I said and smiled shyly.

Thicknesse smiled back at me. “Well then, good day, Runcorn, Gordon.”

“Good day, Minister.” Harry and I said at the same time. Slowly, Thicknesse walked along the corridor. When he was out of sight, Harry and I exchanged a look.

“Who are we?” Harry whispered, looking confused.

I shrugged. “I can’t believe that the Minister of Magic just said that someone did a good job.”

For half a second, Harry grinned. “If he knew whom he’d been talking to…” He muttered and I couldn’t stop myself from chuckling. However, I became serious again immediately.

“We should get going.” I said and Harry nodded. He just wanted to walk through the corridor as well when I stopped him again. “Did you notice that she’s wearing the locket around her neck?” I asked and Harry shook his head, looking surprised.

“But then we should follow her and Hermione, right?”

I nodded. “However, it wouldn’t be too bad to look at her office, right? Now that we know she isn’t here…”

Harry hesitated, but then he nodded. “But wouldn’t it be better if only one of us looks at her office and the other one goes to help Hermione? And we’ve got to find Ron as well. Since we don’t have much time left…”

“Do you want to go after them?” I asked and Harry shook his head.

“I know how much it bothers you to be here while Hermione’s down there. You’ll go.”

Now I was hesitating. “And you’ll be fine?” I asked and Harry nodded.

“They’re all afraid of me. I won’t have any problems. And now go, I’ll meet you downstairs.” With that, Harry took the Invisibility Cloak and vanished. I turned to the lift again.

* * *

At Level Two, a small and wet wizard entered the lift. I recognized Ron immediately. He looked at me nervously. “Morning.” He stammered as the lift set off again.

“Ron, it’s me, Sirius.” I said and Ron sighed in relief. “Sirius, that’s good! I forgot what you look like – where are Hermione and Harry?” Ron frowned.

“Long story, Hermione had to go down to the courtrooms with Umbridge, she couldn’t refuse. And Harry looks at Umbridge’s office while she’s downstairs. We thought it was better to separate since we don’t have much time anymore.” Ron paled.

“This doesn’t sound good…” He muttered and closed his eyes.

“Could you solve the problem with the rain?” I asked and Ron nodded.

“ _Meteolojinx recanto_ worked. Thanks for that, by the way.” 

I smiled. “That’s good, somehow I knew that it wasn’t a normal rain.” I took my wand and pointed at Ron. Immediately, he was dry again.

“Thank you.” Ron said again and I let my wand vanish in my pocket.

The lift stopped and when the doors opened again, a few witches and wizards entered, among them Arthur Weasley. Ron and I exchanged a look. When Arthur saw us, he smiled. “Hello, Gordon. Reg, isn’t your wife in for questioning today?” He said without much hesitation.

“Hello.” Ron and I said. It seemed as if Ron didn’t understand that Arthur’s question was directed at him, so I nodded quickly. “It’s good to see you, Arthur. And yes, Reg’s wife is here today. He’s on his way downstairs and I thought that I should go with him.” I lowered my voice. “He’s a bit off today, if you understand what I mean.”

Arthur nodded, looking at Ron from the corner of his eyes. “Who wouldn’t be nervous in a situation like that?” He was silent for a few moments before he frowned at me. “Didn’t you want to come today to get the papers Henry has prepared for you?”

Right now, I was glad that I was a good actor. I looked at Arthur and shook my head with a sigh. “I’m sorry, Arthur, but you’re right! I would have forgotten that if you wouldn’t have reminded me. Seems like Reg’s not the only one who’s a little distracted today.”

Arthur shook his head. “Don’t apologize, everyone can have a bad day.” He turned to Ron again. “Would you mind if I take Gordon to my office? You would have to go downstairs alone, but –“

Ron shook his head. “No, it’s not a problem.” He said quickly, even if he couldn’t hide his panic completely. However, Arthur seemed to think that Ron was just worried for his wife.

“He can go with you as well, if you don’t want to go there alone, Reg. Then he can get the papers later. Or I can send someone who brings them to Gordon’s office.” Arthur said in a calm voice, but Ron shook his head again.

“It’s okay, d – Arthur. Really, not a problem.”

When the lift opened again and Arthur turned around to leave, I took a step towards Ron quickly. “I’ll meet you downstairs. Harry will go there as well. Try not to do something stupid.”

With that, I left the lift as well. For a few moments, Arthur and I walked through the corridor in silence. It was a strange situation, being here with him like this. He didn’t even know that it was me! He thought that I was just someone working at the Ministry. Someone, who was – to my surprise – known and liked by many people here.

“Poor Reg.” Arthur started. “It must be hard that his wife has to be here today. And just because she is a Muggleborn.”

I nodded. “He’s really worried. Couldn’t concentrate on very much. However, he had to solve the problem with Yaxley’s raining office first. Otherwise, things could have gotten even worse.”

Arthur nodded thoughtfully. “So Yaxley’s office was raining as well?” He asked and I nodded. “Happens far too often at the moment. And the strange thing is that no one knows why.”

I nodded. “And it’s not easy to stop as well. Reg was so nervous this morning, I told him a few spells that he could try. Just one of them worked.”

Arthur raised his eyebrows. “Which one was it this time?” He asked in an interested tone. I would have liked to grin at him, but somehow it didn’t feel right. I didn’t know if Gordon would do something like this.

“ _Meteolojinx recanto_.” I said and Arthur laughed. 

“Worked in two of five times now, I think.” He said with a smile. “One of the office’s is still raining and no one knows how to stop it. Awful. All the papers are wet and –“ He stopped. We had arrived at a door which was Arthur’s office. He went inside and gestured for me to follow him. It wasn’t very tidy in here, but I didn't expect anything else from Arthur. The Weasley’s didn’t think that such things were too important. I didn’t know if my house would be too tidy if I didn’t have Kreacher as well…

“Here are the papers, Gordon. Henry gave them to me, he’s not here today. Apparently, he’s ill. You know what to do with them?” Arthur asked and I nodded. I looked through the report quickly. It was about Apparation within the Ministry and the floo network. So Gordon hadn’t been the only one working at this.

“Thank you, Arthur.” I smiled.

Arthur smiled back. “Not for that.” He said and frowned. “Your daughter returned to Hogwarts as well, didn’t she?”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise and nodded. “Your children as well, didn’t they? You have two who still have to go to school, right?”

Arthur sighed. He was looking tired now and sat down on his chair. “I have two who still have to go there, but Ron’s very ill. He stayed at home, it wasn’t possible for him to go this year. But Ginny is there again. However, so many things have changed…”

I nodded. “New headmaster, new teachers… I just hope our children will be all right there.”

Arthur sighed again. “I hope so too. But do you really think that it’s possible in times like this? When everyone’s in danger…”

“But there’s hope. Of all people here, you should know that most.” I couldn’t stop myself from saying this and now Arthur looked at me more attentively again.

“We shouldn’t talk about this.” He said, even if his expression told me that he wanted nothing more than that.

I nodded slowly. “Maybe you’re right. But I wouldn’t despair, not now. We’ve still got a chance that everything gets better again.” I looked at the papers in my hand. “I should go, I’ve still got some work to do today.”

When I had reached the door, I heard Arthur’s voice behind me again. “I hope you’re right, Gordon.”

I looked over my shoulder again. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t believe it.” With those words, I left.

* * *

Everything went wrong. First, we got separated. Then I had to talk to Arthur Weasley. And now there was an alarm because Harry stole something from Umbridge’s office. I would have loved to scream, but there was no time for that. I heard about the alarm just after I had left Arthur Weasley’s office. Now many people looked at me in surprise when I ran through the Atrium quickly, but luckily no one said a word. Suddenly, there were a few cries of surprise close to the lifts. With a curse, I turned around again, just to see a many people coming out of one lift, led by a Patronus. I recognized the stag immediately. When I got closer, I saw three familiar figures. 

It didn’t take long until Harry, Ron and Hermione saw me as well. Hermione threw her arms around me as soon as I stopped in front of them. “Are you all right?” Hermione asked in a panicked tone.

I shook my head and turned to Harry. “They know there are intruders inside the Ministry. They said something about a hole in Umbridge’s office door. I think we’ve got about five minutes to get out of here.” Next to me, Hermione’s Patronus vanished as she paled.

“If we’re trapped here –“

“We won’t be if we move fast.” Harry said immediately and turned around to the Muggleborns behind him. “Come on!”

We ran towards the fireplaces on the other end of the Atrium as fast as possible. There were already wizards sealing the first of them. I took Hermione’s hand and dragged her with me. Suddenly, Harry next to us slowed down. I looked over my shoulder and just wanted to ask what he was doing when Harry took a deep breath. “STOP!” His voice sounded through the Atrium and the wizards sealing the fireplaces froze.

When we reached the fireplaces, we stopped. The wizards were standing in front of us, unsure of what to do next. “What’s up, Albert?” A wizard said and looked at Harry nervously. Right now, I was glad that Harry had turned into Runcorn. Otherwise, this would have been even more difficult.

“This lot need to leave before you seal the exits.” Harry said with much authority in his voice.

The wizards in front of us exchanged looks. “We’ve been told to seal all exits and not to let anyone –“ The wizard began, but Harry interrupted him.

“ _Are you contradicting me_?” Harry shouted. “Would you like me to have your family tree examined, like I had Dirk Cresswell’s?” 

“Sorry!” The wizard gasped and took a step back. “I didn’t mean nothing, Albert, but I thought… I thought they were in for questioning and…”

“Their blood is pure.” Harry said loudly. “Purer than many of yours, I dare to say. Off you go.” He said to the Muggleborns, who walked into the fireplace quickly. Behind Harry, I heard Ron murmuring something to Cattermole’s wife. With tears in her eyes, she walked towards the fireplace.

“Mary!”

Just before she entered the fireplace, Mrs. Cattermole looked over her shoulder again. Just to see the real Reg Cattermole running towards them. He was still pale and looked ill. I cursed loudly.

“R – Reg?” Mrs. Cattermole asked and looked from her husband to Ron, who swore loudly.

The wizard in front of us gasped, looking from Ron to Mr. Cattermole and back. “What’s going on? What’s this?”

“Seal the exit! SEAL IT!” Now Yaxley was running towards us as well. When the wizard in front of us raised his wand to seal the fireplace, Harry punched him in the face. The man fell to the ground and his wand left his hand.

“He’s been helping Muggleborns escape, Yaxley!” Harry shouted and now Yaxley stopped in front of us, looking from Harry to the wizard lying on the ground. Just in that moment, Ron grabbed Mrs Cattermole and pulled her into the still open fireplace. The woman and Ron disappeared. However, the real Reg Cattermole took a step towards us now. “My wife! Who was that with my wife? What’s going on?” 

Now Yaxley turned to Reg Cattermole again and I saw the realization in his eyes. We had to act fast.

Without further hesitation, I shoved Hermione towards Harry. “You have to leave!” I said and we all stumbled to the fireplace. Seconds later we were standing in one of the public toilets again. In front of us, Ron was trying to talk with Mrs Cattermole. “Get out of here, quickly!” I screamed but it was too late. There was a sound behind us and I turned around just to see Yaxley appearing with an angry expression on his face.

“Let’s go!” Harry yelled and took Hermione’s and Ron’s hands. Hermione held out her free hand to me and I just wanted to take it when Yaxley pushed past me and got hold of Hermione’s jacket. She screamed and without further hesitation, I punched Yaxley in the face. He let go of Hermione, who was shouting at Harry to stop now. But it was too late. I didn’t hear them Disapparating. I had to concentrate on Yaxley now, who took his wand and pointed at me.


	53. Chapter 53

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Harry

I realized that something was wrong the moment we appeared in the forest I had been thinking about only seconds ago. Everything had happened too fast at the Ministry – first our trip to the courtrooms where we had taken the locket from Umbridge, then the chase and then our confrontation with Yaxley. Everything had gone wrong. And then, when we had nearly escaped…

I heard Hermione’s sobs and turned around slowly. She was sitting on the ground, covered in dirt. Ron knelt next to her and had one arm wrapped around her shoulders. He looked at me desperately. And then it hit me.

It was even worse than I expected. I felt a sharp pain in my chest and for a few moments, I couldn’t breathe anymore.

He was gone.

We had lost him.

Sirius wasn’t here.

I looked around, hoping that I might be wrong, but the faces of the others already told me everything. He had stayed behind so we could escape. I wanted to go to Hermione and say something, comfort her, like Ron did, but my legs wouldn’t move. I was frozen in shock. Hermione was still crying and I realized that I had tears in my eyes as well. I had never thought about this, that we might lose someone. Of course there had always been the fear about this, but I didn't believe that it would really happen to us. And not now.

Hermione whispered something to Ron about protective enchantments, but I stopped listening when Ron stood up and began to search for his wand in the robes of Reg Cattermole he was still wearing. When he found it, he looked at Hermione questioningly. She was still crying, but when she noticed that he was looking at her, she sighed and stood up as well. She found her wand immediately and began to walk in a wide circle around Ron and me, whispering spells. 

I closed my eyes and swallowed. Had it just been last week when we had talked about those spells with Sirius? Back then, we didn't think that we would even need them. It was just a security measure – Sirius had thought of so many things we would have forgotten otherwise…

While thinking about Sirius, the pain in my chest returned. And suddenly, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to get away from here. I just wanted to be alone right now and without thinking about it, I started to walk towards the forest, ignoring that we were already surrounded by protective spells.

However, I didn’t come very far. When I had nearly reached the circle around us, Ron appeared next to me and grabbed my arm. “What do you think you’re doing?” He asked loudly. I tried to escape from his grasp, but then Ron just caught my other arm. “You can’t just go now!”

It would have been easier to stay calm now. To think about everything closely and make a plan. But could that change anything in a situation like this? I stopped and turned around, holding up my hands in a defensive gesture. I hoped Hermione made sure that no one could hear us.

“All right, I’m staying!” I said loudly and Ron took a step back, surprised by the anger in my voice. I lowered my hands slowly and looked from Ron to Hermione. Tears were running down my cheeks. “What the hell has happened there? He was supposed to be with us now! How could we have lost him?” I took a step towards Hermione, who was crying again.

“It was… Y- Yaxley.” Hermione stuttered and Ron knelt down next to her again. Hermione had been searching for something in her bag. Ron took it from her shaking hands and began to search for himself. “When we had nearly escaped – in the toilet… He had grabbed my jacket and Sirius –“ She stopped and began to sob again. “Sirius pushed him away. I wanted to tell you that we had to wait, but it – it was too late. We were already disapparating and – and Sirius –“ Now she began to cry even more and hid her face in her hands. Ron, who had one hand still in Hermione’s bag, squeezed her arm awkwardly.

I began to walk around slowly, five steps to the left and five to the right, more I couldn’t do. Otherwise, I would leave the circle. So this was all my fault, when I wouldn’t have apparated, Sirius would still be with us. He would be here and we would know that he was all right…

“Harry…” Ron began hesitantly and I stopped immediately.

“What is it?” I asked sharply.

“We have to set up the tent –“ Ron said slowly, but I didn’t let him finish.

“Oh, the tent.” I took a deep breath. “All right. Didn’t even know that we have one.” A few moments of silence. “Don’t you think that we have more important things to worry about now?!? Sirius is gone, maybe they have caught him or he’s already dead! Maybe they are torturing him to find out where we are! And you are worrying about a _tent_?! We shouldn’t even stay here! We have to find out what happened or go back and help him! We can’t just stay here and do nothing!” While I was yelling at Ron, his expression darkened. “We must help him!” 

“But we can’t do anything right now!” Ron said loudly. “We can’t just go back there, they will expect that!”

“So we should just abandon Sirius?!”

“We’re bringing ourselves in danger as well!” Ron yelled and took a step towards me. “And everyone we know as well! They know that it was us! They saw us! What do you think will happen to my family now that they know that I’m with you? They’re in danger as well! And they’ll be waiting for us to come back if they really have Sirius!”

“But he’s the only family I’ve got!” I yelled back. “And I can’t just let him down!”

“They don’t want him, they want _you_!” Ron said and pointed at me. “And when you go back, you’re surrendering yourself to them! I don’t think that Sirius would want this!” 

“You don’t even know him! How would you know what he wants?” I asked sharply and Ron just wanted to reply something, when Hermione went to us.

“But I know what he would want us to do right now.” She said calmly and after our shouting her voice seemed to be very quiet. Her eyes were still red, but she had stopped crying. However, I noticed that her hands were still shaking. On the other end of our circle stood a tent. “And I’m sure that you know it as well, Harry.” She looked at me sadly and slowly, I realized what I had just done. I shook my head silently.

“He wouldn’t want you to go back. None of us. I have seen the look on his face, he knew exactly what he was doing. He knew the risks of going with us. And I’m sure that he’s glad that we could escape, wherever he is.” Tears were starting to run down her cheeks again. “And Harry, I beg you, please don’t think about going back anymore. It won’t help anyone. It will make everything worse.”

“But we can’t just do nothing.” My voice was sounding hoarse.

“We won’t. But we need time to think about everything. And it won’t help us if we start arguing now.” At those words, she looked at Ron. “We’ll find a way to make sure that they’re all right. We have to.” I didn’t know if the lasts words were directed to us or more to herself. Hermione closed her eyes and breathed in deeply.

I sighed and looked at Ron. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

Ron shook his head. “No, you shouldn’t.” He said simply. “But I understand how you’re feeling. He’s your family, after all. But I shouldn’t have shouted at you as well.”

“So you’re not mad at me?” I asked and Ron shrugged.

“Wouldn’t be of any use right now, would it?”

“We should go inside, shouldn’t we?” Hermione whispered and we nodded. Ron took Hermione’s bag that was still lying on the ground and we went inside the tent. I recognized the smell of cats immediately. It was the same tent in which we had slept on the night of the Quidditch World Cup. Somehow, it was matching right now. “I thought this belonged to that bloke Perkins at the Ministry?” I asked, just to change the subject. Hermione was still crying.

“Apparently, he didn’t want it back, his lumbago’s so bad so Ron’s dad said I could borrow it.” She said and sat down on one of the chairs that were standing in front of a small table. There were four. I swallowed and sat down as well.

“Where are we, by the way?” Ron asked. He was already sitting on a bed.

“In the forest where the Quidditch World Cup had taken place.” I said and Hermione raised her eyebrows. “It was the first place I could think of.”

“And do we have it?” Ron asked and stood up again. He looked at me expectantly.

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Oh come on, it was the reason why we did all those crazy things today! I’m talking about the locket.”

To be honest, I had forgotten the locket until this moment. I had been too busy worrying about Sirius and thinking of how we might help him. Now I reached for the locket which was still in one of the pockets of the cloak I was wearing. I took it out slowly and put it down on the table.

“So you really got it!” Ron said and walked towards us. He sat down on the chair next to Hermione. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Well, we were running for our lives from the Death Eaters and then….” Hermione stopped and closed her eyes. It was obvious that she tried to stop herself from crying. I reached over the table and squeezed her hand. I knew exactly how she was feeling right now. Slowly, Hermione opened her eyes again and managed a weak smile. “Thank you.” She whispered.

I looked at the locket on the table. It was as large as a chicken’s egg and in the middle was a big  _S_ , made of many small green stones. This was the reason why Sirius was gone now. We had been so keen on getting the locket that we didn’t even thing of all the dangers our trip to the Ministry could keep. 

“There isn’t any chance someone’s destroyed it since Kreacher had it?” Ron asked hopefully. “I mean, are we sure it’s still a Horcrux?”

Hermione took the locket and turned it in her hands. I had the feeling that thinking about this made her forget our loss for a short time. “I think so. There would be some sign of damage if it had been magically destroyed.”

I nodded, remembering Ton Riddle’s diary. “It is still a Horcrux.” I murmured. I didn’t know why, but I was sure about this. Hermione passed it to me and stood up. “I’ll make us some tea. And we should keep watch outside the tent. Just in case someone followed us.”

Ron and I nodded. Sirius had always told us to be attentive so it seemed a good plan to keep watch. Then no one could surprise us.

I looked at the locket in my hand. Sirius was gone because of this. Suddenly, I felt a strong urge to throw it away so that I would never have to see it again. But would that be of any use? We had to destroy it. I handed it to Ron, who seemed to be waiting for this. “I think Kreacher’s right. We’re going to have to work out how to open this thing before we can destroy it.”

After a few moments, Ron passed it to me again. Hermione came back with two cups of tea in her hands. They were still shaking and it surprised me that the tea stayed in its cups. “What are we going to do with it?” She asked.

“Keep it safe until we work out how to destroy it.” I replied and stood up. Without thinking about it, I hung the chain of the locket around my neck. At this, Hermione narrowed her eyes, however she didn’t say anything.

“I’ll take the first watch.” I said and stood up. After I had found my wand in the other pocket of the cloak, I took a cup of tea from Hermione and left the tent.


	54. Chapter 54

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

_There were people. Lots of people, walking through the corridors of the Ministry. They looked at us with strange looks on their faces while we made our way through the crowd. We weren’t running, even if we had to get out of there as fast as possible. We didn’t have the chance to run. Our way out was blocked, not just by the employees walking around, but also by a large fireplace. In the dark corridors, the fireplace seemed even darker to me. I shivered and someone pulled at my hand to make me come along._

“ _Don’t stop, we haven’t much time!” Harry cried and I nodded. I felt numb, though I didn’t know why. It was good to get out of here, wasn’t it? But why was I so afraid then?_

“ _They’re coming!” A voice behind us called and I recognized that it was Ron. And suddenly, there was someone else next to me, talking my other hand. Sirius. He looked as if he’d been running for a long time, his hair was a complete mess and his cloak was ripped at one arm. I frowned in confusion. When did this happen?_

“ _Come on, we have to get out of here!” Harry shouted again and this time, we followed him more quickly. It seemed like my feet didn’t really obey and Sirius looked at me with worry in his eyes._

“ _I won’t let them get you, I promise.” He said and those words made my heart begin to race in my chest. What was he saying? Why did it sound as if he didn’t plan on coming with us? I started to feel even more afraid._

“ _Sirius, don’t say something like that –“ I started, but he shook his head._

“ _You’ll be all right, love. I won’t let anything happen to you. You have to get out of here and go on with the plan. Promise me that.”_

“ _We won’t leave you behind!” I said, but he shook his head again, a determined expression on his face._

“ _You must. You have to protect Harry. He’s the key to everything. Without him, everything’s lost. I’ll find you when I have the chance.”_

_I wanted to protest again, but in that moment we had reached the fireplace. I wanted to yell at Harry and tell him to stop. However, someone grabbed my jacket and I was thrown back. Sirius let go of my hand._

“ _Go! You have to leave!” He shouted, but I wanted to protest again. However, Harry already grabbed my arm._

“ _We have to stop! Sirius!” I screamed, but Harry didn’t seem to hear me. In that moment, Sirius looked over his shoulder again._

“ _Get out of here, quickly!” He shouted and then everything went dark._

* * *

I woke up with a scream. It took me a few moments to realize where I was. It was dark and I breathed in deeply, trying to calm myself down again. When I raised a hand to my face, I noticed that my cheeks were wet. I had been crying. So even the sleep couldn’t bring me any comfort.

I sat in the darkness for a few moments, thinking about my dream again. It was different from what really happened, but somehow a few details were right either way.  _Get out of here, quickly!_ The words echoed through my mind again and I had to hold back a sob. They were the last words Sirius said to me before he stayed behind so we could escape. 

Tears were falling down my cheeks again and I wiped them away impatiently.  _You have to protect Harry. He’s the key to everything. Without him, everything’s lost. I’ll find you when I have the chance_ . I knew Sirius didn’t really say those words, but they could have come from him. He would have wanted us to help Harry finding the Horcruxes and destroying them. Sirius knew how important it was. And I was sure that he wouldn’t have wanted us to search for him because it was too dangerous. There was the risk that we were being caught ourselves… 

But what happened to him? Was he captured? Or could he escape? Or did they…? I refused to finish the last thought and stood up. I noticed that I was still wearing the clothes from the previous day, the ones I had worn as Mafalda Hopkirk. With a sigh, I looked through my bag and in the end, I found a few things I could wear. Some simple blue jeans and a gray pullover. When I had changed, I noticed the light in front of the tent. Harry was still sitting there in the dark, keeping watch. I wondered how long I had slept. A look at my watch told me that it had been about three hours. So that was why he didn’t tell us to take turns.

He didn’t look up when I left the tent and sat down on the ground next to him. He was looking at something in his hands and when I turned some more, I could see that it was a picture. A picture of him and Sirius which Remus had made at Christmas last year.

“I wonder where he is right now.” Harry whispered after a long silence. “We would know if something happened to him, wouldn’t we?” His tone was pleading and I wished he was right. “I mean, Sirius is a good fighter. He could have escaped. After all, he surprised Yaxley.”

I nodded silently, partly to make Harry feel better. But I also had the hope that Sirius was able to defeat Yaxley. And maybe he really escaped. However, where would he go? He sealed up Grimmauld Place. The four of us were the only people who could get in. So he would start searching for us there, wouldn’t he? And if he did, we could see him by going there as well. But what if they had captured him and forced him to tell them about the house? Then we weren’t the only ones who could get in anymore. And if we went there…

“What are you thinking?” Harry asked and ripped me out of my thoughts. I raised my eyebrows in confusion. “You had this strange look on your face right now, the one you only have when you think about something difficult.” Harry tried to explain and made a gesture with his hands.

I shrugged. “Where would he go, if he really escaped?” I asked and Harry nodded, understanding what I had been thinking of immediately.

“Grimmauld Place?” He suggested and I nodded.

“It would be only logical. After all, only we can get in.”

“I’ve also thought about going there again…” Harry began, but I shook my head.

“It would be too dangerous. What if he didn’t escape? When they have caught him, they could force him to tell them about the house. And then there could be someone waiting for us when we get there.”

Harry looked at me for a few moments in silence. Then he nodded with a sigh. “Probably you’re right. But we can’t just do nothing, can we? We have to know what happened to him.” Harry’s grip around the picture tightened. “If they really have him…”

“We don’t know that, Harry.” I whispered. “We don’t know anything of what happened after we left. Maybe he really could escape. When we left through the fireplace, it was sealed right behind us.” At least that’s what I hoped. “So he only had to deal with Yaxley. And we both know that there aren’t many people who can fight better than Sirius. He had a good chance to escape.”

“I hope you’re right…” Harry murmured. “But how can we find out? We must contact someone to know what really happened. And back at Grimmauld Place we always discussed how dangerous that is.”

I remained silent. It was true, Sirius had always warned us to contact someone. And I had agreed with him. And even now that I wanted nothing more than to find out what happened to him, the thought of contacting someone scared me. Who knew what might happen when someone else noticed it? It was far too dangerous. But either way…

“We’ll figure something out.” I said after some time. “But first we have to make sure that no one can find us. I don’t want to stay here long, just in case someone could track us. We should change our position at least every second day, if not every day. And then we have to find out how to destroy the Horcrux. You said that we have to open it. Then we must find a way how to do it. And we’ve also got to think of food and everything. I’ve got enough for two weeks maybe, but then we’ll have to see where we’ll get it.”

Harry nodded slowly. “You really thought of everything, didn’t you?”

I just shrugged. “I wasn’t alone.” I said simply and a sad expression appeared on Harry’s face.

“I miss him.”

I nodded. “Me too.” I looked at Harry for a few moments. “You should get some sleep. I’ll keep watch, I can’t sleep either way.”

“Bad dreams?” Harry asked and I nodded.

He stood up slowly and yawned. “You can wake Ron when you want to try to get some sleep again.”

I nodded and managed a weak smile. “Good night.”

Harry tried to smile as well and went inside the tent. Then I noticed that he had left the picture of Sirius and himself on the ground next to me.

* * *

I didn’t wake Ron that night. Since I couldn’t sleep either way I just stayed in front of the tent, lost in thoughts. I remembered all the good times we’ve had in our lives. Back at Hogwarts and in some of the holidays. And I thought of the time since we’d saved Sirius’ life at the Ministry. So many things had changed after that.

I had started to cry again while thinking of that. The worry about him made me sick. I felt like I couldn’t really breathe and my heart was still racing. If it didn’t do that, I felt like I didn’t even have a heart. It was like there was a hole in my chest. It was terrible.

At breakfast the next morning, I tried to eat something. However, I wasn’t really hungry. Harry didn’t eat as well. The only one who seemed to be quite normal was Ron. However, he looked sad as well. Our loss weighed heavily on us.

After that, we went outside and tried to destroy the locket with some spells. It didn’t work. Since we had already expected this, we weren’t too disappointed. And then we started to make plans. We tried to decide where we should go next and we discussed if there was a way to contact the others. However, none of us knew how we could possibly do it without attracting too much attention. So we stopped to talk about this. We decided that we would move to the north in the evening. It was too dangerous to stay here much longer.

We didn’t talk about Sirius the entire day. For me, it hurt too much to think that he might be dead or captured by the Death Eaters. I thought Harry felt the same and Ron also looked uncomfortable when we came close to that subject. Somehow, I assumed that he missed Sirius as well. 

When we finally left the forest in the evening – we disapparated under the Invisibility Cloak – we were all glad to leave the place behind.

But what should we do know? We couldn’t just go from place to place and wait for a solution to our problems, could we?


	55. Chapter 55

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Descriptions of violence in this chapter! Nothing too bad, but I wanted to warn you anyway.
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

“ _Let’s go!” Harry yelled and took Hermione’s and Ron’s hands. Hermione held out her free hand to me and I just wanted to take it when Yaxley pushed past me and got hold of Hermione’s jacket. She screamed and without further hesitation, I punched Yaxley in the face. He let go of Hermione, who was shouting at Harry to stop now. But it was too late. I didn’t hear them disapparating. I had to concentrate on Yaxley now, who took his wand and pointed at me._

I didn’t have much time to react. My wand was still in the pocket of my cloak and I couldn’t reach it in time. So I did the only thing that was left to me in that moment. Maybe it was completely stupid, but Yaxley already opened his mouth to cast a spell at me – I doubted that I would live much longer when he succeeded with that.

I threw myself at him. It had the effect I had hoped for. Yaxley lost his balance and fell backwards – right into the toilet through which we had appeared moments ago. There was a cracking noise and I hoped that it was his wand that was broken now. However, I didn’t have the time to make sure that I was right. Nevertheless, the angry scream of Yaxley gave me some hope. If he didn’t have a wand anymore, my chances of an escape were a little better. Even if they still were very small. I doubted that I had much time until more Death Eaters would appear in here. A sealed fireplace wouldn’t stop them forever.

Yaxley tried to push me away with all his strength. It was obvious that he wanted to stand up since he was still kneeling on the ground next to that toilet. Apparently, he had hit his head. There was blood running down his cheeks. I backed away, but just to have enough space to hit Yaxley again, this time in the stomach. He gasped, but what I didn’t expect was that he grabbed my arm and shoved me to the ground.

I lost my balance on the wet ground and fell, landing on my back. I felt a sharp pain somewhere and growled angrily. I didn’t care about being hurt myself now. Of course I wanted to escape and get out of here alive. What made me angrier was the fact that he had tried to hold back Hermione and the others. That he dared to lay hand on the people I loved most! I tried to stand up again, but as soon as I was on my knees, Yaxley’s fist hit my jaw and I fell backwards against the wall. For a moment, everything went black.

When I was able to open my eyes again – I may have been gone for a few seconds – Yaxley was kneeling right in front of me, a hand around my throat. So he really didn’t have his wand anymore. “Where did they go?” Yaxley demanded and when I didn’t answer, he knocked my head against the wall again. “Answer me, or you won’t live much longer, Black.” He spat the last word with such an anger in his voice that it would have made me laugh if there was a chance.

“Do you really think that I’d tell you that? Even _if_ I would know it, which I don’t, obviously…” He tightened his grip around my throat and choked. “You’d kill me either way…” My last words weren’t more than a whisper, I wasn’t able to speak clearly anymore. I couldn’t breath and in his anger, Yaxley hit me again with his free hand, this time in the stomach. I choked again. 

My mind was racing. I had to get out of here quickly, but how should I do that? I still had my wand, but it was buried deep inside of my pocket so I couldn’t reach it now. And I didn’t have anything else to defend myself… Yaxley was asking me something again, though I ignored him. My eyes were fixed on a sharp stone lying on the ground right next to Yaxley. Apparently, it had broken off when Yaxley had fallen onto the toilet. I tried to reach it with my hand.

“Where are they?!” Yaxley yelled and even if I nearly couldn’t breathe anymore and thought that I would die any moment, I made a choking sound again. However, this time it really was a laugh. It took Yaxley a few seconds to realize that as well. His already angry face became a furious grimace. “How dare you –“ He started, even if he never got a chance to finish his sentence.

In the moment he wanted to punch me again, my hand finally reached the stone. And I let it crash down on his head with all the strength that was left to me. Finally, Yaxley let go of my throat and I could breathe again. For a few moments, we were both lying on the ground. I tried to get my breathing under control again, even if I was still coughing very much. Yaxley lay motionless on the ground, even if I wasn’t sure that he was unconscious.

When I finally gained control over my body again, I stood up – I had to use the door handle as a support. I had nearly left the cubicle we were still in when Yaxley suddenly grabbed my foot and I was about to lose balance again. Luckily, I was still holding onto the door which prevented me from falling again. I tried to kick Yaxley’s hand away, but he held onto my foot too tight. He tried to stand up as well. However, I seemed to have hit his head harder than I first thought. Yaxley fell again and loosened his grip around me. I use the chance immediately and stumbled forward, towards the exit of the public toilet.

At the same time, I searched for my wand in the pocket of the cloak. When I had found it, I pointed at the door of the cubicle Yaxley was in. The door shut itself and I heard Yaxley scream again. I knew that I didn’t have much time anymore. I brushed away the blood in my face – Yaxley must’ve hit me harder than I thought – and began to run towards the exit. My whole body hurt and it took all my strength to move. I knew I wouldn’t get very far like this.

But where should I go to? I couldn’t go back to Grimmauld Place, not right now at least. And just appearing in front of a house of an Order member? Far too dangerous. Then an idea came to my mind and I closed my eyes to concentrate. However, the sound of footsteps outside of the building made me open my eyes again. I heard a few people yelling and knew what was going on immediately. More Death Eaters. Behind me, Yaxley was pounding against the door of the cubicle with his fists.

The footsteps were coming closer and I raised my wand. Then the door burst open and three Death Eaters tried to enter the public toilet at once. Apparently, they hadn’t expected one of us to be here. When they saw me, they stopped immediately. Which gave me the chance to react.

The first Death Eater was hit by my spell and fell to the ground, unconscious. In the meantime, the second Death Eater – it was Rowle again, whom we already met in the cafe some time ago – was able to cast a curse at me as well. Luckily, my protecting charm fended it off. I knew that I couldn’t move fast enough if it was necessary. So I had only once chance left. Without further hesitation, I pointed at the ceiling above us. 

The explosion knocked the Death Eaters off their feet – and it gave me the time I needed to disapparate. The last thing I heard was Yaxley’s angry scream.

* * *

I knew they were searching for me now. That’s why I didn’t return to Grimmauld Place. The Death Eaters knew I owned the house and somehow, I had the feeling that someone would be waiting for me there on the small square in front of the place. Of course I could just apparate on the first step of the stairs and they couldn’t see me, but in my current condition I doubted that I was able to do that.

So I didn’t appear anywhere near that place, but in a small forest close to another house. And I really hoped it wasn’t watched. The first thing I noticed when the darkness left me was that it was already getting dark. I stumbled towards the closest tree and sat down in front of it. It hurt when my back touched the wood, but I didn’t care. My entire body was hurting and when I touched my face, I realized that I was still bleeding somewhere. However, I didn’t want to search for my injury right now. That could wait until later. Right now, I had more important things to think of.

Harry, Ron and Hermione had escaped. That were the good news of the day. And I hoped that they had the locket with them. After all, that’s why we did all those crazy, stupid things. I closed my eyes, remembering Hermione’s anxious face when Yaxley had grabbed her in that toilet. And the desperation in her eyes when she realized that I had decided to stay behind. When she had realized that they would go without me.

I wondered where they were right now. And I really hoped that they wouldn’t do anything as stupid as to look for me. They were worried about me, that was for sure. Or did they think that I had been captured by the Death Eaters or, even worse, that I was dead? I sighed. I really hoped that they were alright. But I couldn’t figure out a way to contact them. We had talked about many things, but he had never considered that something like this could happen. That someone was lost.

But I was alive and right now, that was more than I had expected. For a few moments, I had thought that I was going to die there. Or worse. Suddenly, there was a cracking noise not far from me. I was alerted immediately and stood up, grabbing my wand. However, there was nothing I had to worry about. The squirrel only looked at me with big, innocent eyes and jumped onto the next tree.

What was I going to do now? I couldn’t stay here forever, but I didn’t know if it was a good idea just to walk down to the village. I didn’t have my Invisibility Cloak, it was still in Hermione’s bag. So this wasn’t an option anymore. And I didn’t think that I had the patience to use any other spell now. I felt like I would break down soon. Or could I just cast a Patronus…? Someone could see it.

And then I had a plan. I looked around and tried to orientate myself. When I turned around, I thought that I could see houses through the trees. I began to walk in that direction slowly, careful not to stumble over one of the branches lying on the ground. I hoped that no one knew about this house. We had never mentioned it to anyone, not even to most of the members of the Order. If I was right, there were about five people who knew that this existed. That’s why I had thought of coming here instead of going to my place. They wouldn’t expect me to be here. Because I assumed that the Death Eaters were looking for me now just as much as they were looking for Harry. After all, they had seen me together with him. And I had nearly killed four Death Eaters, but that was another story. 

When I reached the edge of the forest, I stopped and took a deep breath. Now another thought came to my mind. What if no one was there? Where would I go then? I refused myself to think like this. I would see what I’d do next then. But not now.

I looked around again to make sure that no one could see me. And then I turned into a dog. Normally, the change was something good. I liked it, it sharpened my senses and it just  _felt good_ to be a dog. To be Padfoot, James would have said now. However, it wasn’t like this now. Presumably, my injuries were the reason why everything hurt even more now. I could smell blood and I knew that it was mine. I had to be very careful. 

Walking through a small village in the dark was easy when you were a black dog. The chance that someone saw you wasn’t too high. And since I could hear better like this, I could prevent meeting anyone. I didn’t take the direct way to the house to make sure that no one was following me. And there wasn’t anyone. I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

When I finally reached the house, my head started to hurt as well. It was a strange feeling, I’ve never had a headache like this. Now the most difficult part of my plan was coming. I looked up at the door bell. If I wouldn’t feel so bad, it wouldn’t have been difficult to reach it. Just a little jump and everything was alright. Since I couldn’t do that…

I managed to stay on two feet, even if my back hurt very much at this. With one last struggle, I pressed the small button on the wall. And then I waited. There were noises in the house and I hoped that they would really open the door. Just to make sure that no one could surprise me, I had taken a few steps back before I sat down – now the stairs were between me and whoever might open the door. After some time, the door opened slowly. The man in front of me had his wand raised and there was an alerted look on his face. When he didn’t see anyone at first, there was confusion in his eyes.

Then he saw me.

“Oh my god Sirius, what happened?” Remus Lupin asked and lowered his wand.


	56. Chapter 56

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

Once I was inside the house and Remus had closed the door behind us – of course after making sure that no one had followed me – he began to ask questions. “I don’t understand – Where are the others? What happened to Harry, Ron and Hermione? I thought you were with them. And there were rumors that something happened at the Ministry today -“ He broke off when I finally found the strength to turn into my human form again. I must’ve looked terrible. Remus paled even more and looked at me with wide eyes.

He caught me when I nearly fell to the ground. “Sirius…” He muttered and I heard the worry in his voice. “Come on, you have to sit down. I think you remember where the living room is.” Remus nearly carried me to the sofa – I was too tired to walk myself. When I finally sat down, I sighed in relief. I heard footsteps on the stairs and then another person entered the room. “Remus, what –“ And then Tonks saw me sitting on the couch, covered in blood and dirt. She paled as well and I tried to smile.

“It’s good to see you.” I muttered and Tonks turned to Remus. They exchanged looks and when Remus nodded, Tonks vanished again.

“You look terrible.” Remus whispered when he began to help me out of the cloak I had stolen the man from the Ministry this morning.

“Tell me something I don’t know.” I muttered back and hissed in pain. This really wasn’t a nice day.

“Sirius, what happened –“ Remus began, but I shook my head.

“Can we talk about that later?” I asked and something in my voice must have convinced Remus since he nodded silently. Then Tonks returned and they started to clean my wounds. Later, Tonks vanished again, muttering something about tea. I couldn’t follow the events around me, I was too tired now. The last thing I remembered before everything turned dark was that Remus brought me new clothes to wear.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again, I felt much better. My head was still hurting, but next to that, everything seemed to be all right. However, that changed immediately when I tried to sit up. The pain in my back and stomach returned and I began to feel sick. A look through the window told me that the day had already started – I didn’t know how long I had been asleep.

The next thing I noticed was Remus sitting in an armchair next to the couch I had been lying on. Apparently, he didn’t sleep at all.

“Good morning.” I muttered and Remus sighed. He handed me a cup of tea that had been standing on the table.

“You should drink this, Tonks said it will make you feel better.” He sounded tired.

I took the cup from him. “Thank you.” The tea was very bitter. I drank it either way.

We sat there in silence for some time until Remus sighed. “Do you know how scared I was when you showed up here last night? When I saw how bad you looked… I really thought that you were going to die for a few moments.” Now he finally lifted his head to look at me. “So what happened? Where are the others?”

“I’m sorry that I came here like this. But I didn’t know where to go. Everyone’s being watched and since this was the only place I knew –“ Remus held up a hand to make me fall silent.

“You don’t have to apologize for coming here, Sirius. I’m glad you did. Who knows what might’ve happened to you otherwise. I just don’t understand…”

I nodded. “I know. It’s complicated.” I hesitated. “Where’s Tonks?”

“She’s still asleep.” Remus replied. “Her mother told me that it’s normal when a woman’s pregnant.” He shrugged, a helpless smile on his lips.

“Do you know how the others are?” I didn’t need to explain who the others were.

Remus nodded. “They’re alright. At least it’s been like that when I last saw them about a week ago. We don’t get out too often. You’d been lucky that we’re still here, we thought about moving to Tonks’ parents once the baby’s there. It would be easier for her, especially when I’m out on a mission.”

“I’m glad that you came back.” I said and Remus smiled for half a second.

“I think I have to thank you for that. After all, you convinced me that it was the right thing to do.” I shrugged and smiled as well. It hadn’t been a good idea, my back started to hurt again.

“You’d been stupid if you wouldn’t have come back. Harry was right about that.” The last words hung in the air between us and suddenly, the tension was back.

And then I told him what happened after he had left Grimmauld Place a few weeks ago. Of course I didn’t mention the Horcrux or anything like that, I just told Remus that it was necessary for the mission Albus had given us. When I came to our escape and the part when Yaxley had grabbed Hermione, Remus growled angrily.

“And then I did the only thing which could help us in that moment. I punched Yaxley, he let go of Hermione and the three of them could disapparate. You can imagine what happened afterwards.” I finished my story with a gesture towards myself and my injuries.

During my story, Remus had grabbed the edge of the table. His knuckles were white on his hands. I knew him well enough to see that he tried to stay calm. “And no, I don’t know where they are now. Believe me, if I knew I would try to get there as soon as possible.”

“It was very stupid of you to think that you could deal with Yaxley all by yourself.” Remus said, anger sounding through his voice. “He could have killed you. Or think about what would have happened if they had captured you… What it would have done to us all.”

“I know you’re angry, Moony.” I said slowly. I didn’t call him like this very often. “But I didn’t see another chance for them to escape. And believe me, I also would have died for them. It would have been worth it. Harry and the others escaped! No one knows where they are now, not even the Death Eaters. And I doubt that it’ll change very soon. They know how to hide, I’ve taught them everything that’s necessary for it.”

Slowly, Remus let go of the table again. He sighed. “Of course I’m mad at you. You can’t just die and leave me alone! You’re my best friend, Sirius. And even if it might sound stupid, I need you.” There was a pleading look on Remus’ face now. “You can’t always risk your life without thinking about the consequences. And think of Hermione and Harry. How do you think they would feel if you'd died?”

Without really thinking about it, I stood up (ignoring the headache) and hugged Remus. We stayed like this for a few moments. However, the pain in my back became too strong then. Apparently, Remus knew that since he let go. “Don’t scare me like this again, Padfoot.”

I smiled slightly. “I’ll try.”

We sat down again and the silence returned. It didn’t stay long this time. “What did you think by breaking into the Ministry?!” Remus’ voice was louder now and I looked at him in surprise. “It was very stupid of you to do this, I hope you know that.”

I laughed dryly. “Of course we knew. We knew exactly how risky this whole trip was, believe me. But it was very important. I hope one day I can tell you why. Then you’ll understand what I mean. But Dumbledore made us promise not to tell anyone.”

Remus nodded. “He told Kingsley and me once that we should trust you with this. That you knew what you were doing.” He sighed. “And there wouldn’t have been another way?”

I shook my head. “No, there wasn’t. Otherwise I would have never let them go to the Ministry. I would do everything to protect Harry, Ron and Hermione.”

“You did.” Remus said simply and suddenly, I began to feel sad. Were they all right? Where did they go after they had been able to escape? And again, I asked myself what they thought that happened to me.

“I have to find them.” I said slowly.

“I knew you would say that.” Remus murmured. “But you said it yourself, no one knows where they are. And besides, you have to recover first. Even if you’d have an idea where they might be, you couldn’t just go there like this.”

Even if I didn’t like to admit it, Remus was right. I still felt bad. And I had no idea where the others might be, so there was no point at looking for them, was it?

The rest of the day passed rather quickly. About an hour later, Tonks appeared as well and together with Remus, they prepared breakfast. After that, we told her the entire story as well. She was just as shocked as her husband to hear what we had done.

And then they told me some things that had happened after the wedding. Every member of the Order was being watched. Bill and Fleur were living in Shell Cottage now and some members of the Order met there sometimes since no one knew that the house existed. Ginny Weasley was back at Hogwarts, even if it was a terrible place now that Snape and the Carrows were there. Fred and George’s shop in Diagon Alley was closed – it was far too dangerous to carry on with this. Instead, they had invented something new. As far as I understood it, they had an own show on the radio now which was called Potterwatch. Lee Jordan helped them with it and there, they tried to tell the people who listened the truth about Voldemort – Remus told me not to say that name anymore; most probably they found us that way at Tottenham Court road - and the Death Eaters.

When they told me about Arthur and that he was still going to work every day, I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. “I forgot to tell you!” I said and Remus and Tonks exchanged a confused look. “I talked to him when we were at the Ministry. Of course he didn’t know that it was me, but I knew he was all right then.”

“You talked to him?” Remus asked, still looking surprised. Then his lips twitched. “You’re crazy, you know that? What if he would have recognized you?”

I shrugged. “It happened either way, didn’t it?”

Tonks was grinning as well. “I still can’t believe you did that. And that you all survived this without being captured.”

“We’ve been lucky.” I said and Remus nodded.

“It could have ended worse.” However, his eyes told me that he didn’t like the way things have ended very much.

The rest of the day I was mostly sleeping on the sofa. I really needed it. And a look in the mirror after breakfast had told me that I really looked terrible. I already knew that there were wounds on the back of my head where it had hit the wall. However, the deep cut on my cheek surprised me. Just as the bruises on my throat where Yaxley had grabbed me. The rest of my body didn’t look much better. I sighed and after I finally managed to have a shower and tame my hair, I went to the couch again.

In the evening, the doorbell rang. We had been in the living room and Tonks had talked to us about possible names for their child – it was good to hear something different. Remus and Tonks weren’t expecting someone, but Remus told me that from time to time, a few Order members showed up here. Nevertheless, they didn’t have an idea who it might be. Remus grabbed his wand and walked towards the front door. He told us to hold our wands ready as well. We did.

For a few moments, it was silent. Then we heard Remus exchanging a few words with a person outside of the house. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but it was obvious that it was a man standing there. And the voice was somehow familiar to me. Then there were footsteps and the door was closed again. When the man spoke once more, I recognized him immediately. 

“Remus, there has been an incident at the Ministry.” Kingsley Shacklebolt said. “Someone broke in there. And you won’t believe who it was.”

“I know.” Remus said simply, however Kingsley didn’t seem to hear him.

“They say it was Harry, together with the others. They were very close to being caught. And now comes the most strange thing about this story –“ Kingsley went on, but Remus interrupted him.

“I know, Kingsley. I’ve already heard what happened at the Ministry.”

Now Kingsley seemed to be confused. “But how can you know, I just heard it a few hours ago…”

“And I bet the story I’ve heard is far more realistic than yours.” Remus added and then they entered the living room.

“Remus, I don’t understand –“ That’s when Kingsley saw me sitting on the couch. He froze, his mouth still open, and looked at me wide-eyed. I couldn’t stop myself from grinning weakly. He looked at me very closely and I had the feeling that his eyes stayed on my injuries a little longer. His face darkened when he saw the marks on my throat. It was obvious what had happened there.

“Hello Kingsley.” I said and stood up slowly. Kingsley shook his head in disbelief and grabbed my hand.

“Sirius, I’m glad you’re all right.” He said and there was relief in his voice. “I didn’t think that you were still…” he hesitated.

“Alive?” I guessed and Kingsley nodded. Slowly, we all sat down again. Tonks went to the kitchen to make some tea.

“Why are you here? Where are Harry and the others? Were they…” Kingsley didn’t finish his sentence and I shook my head quickly.

“No, I hope they are fine. They were able to escape.” I assured him and he relaxed again.

“That’s what I’ve heard as well. But in times like this, you can never be sure. They also told us you were dead.” I sighed. I had already feared that. I just hoped that Hermione and the others wouldn’t hear that lie.

“Well, looks like they’ve been wrong about that.” I muttered darkly and Remus, who was sitting next to me now, sighed.

“Who told you what happened at the Ministry?” Remus asked Kingsley and then I remembered that Kingsley wasn’t working at the Ministry anymore. He was on the run, just like most of us now.

“Arthur. He said that there was much trouble yesterday and then he heard someone talking about this… They try to hide it as good as possible. But sooner or later, everyone will know what happened there. Or at least that you were there.” He had turned to me again. “What on earth made you go there? It was the last place where you should have been.”

“I know. But it was necessary for the mission Albus gave us. And please don’t ask more to that, you know I can’t tell you.” I said and Kingsley nodded. He would have never questioned Albus Dumbledore’s decisions.

“Can you at least tell me what happened? You don’t have to tell my why you did all this.”

And I began to tell the story again, the third time on that day. When I came to the part where I had punched Yaxley to help the others escape, Kingsley’s face darkened even more.

“At least we know that they’re safe now.” I said and he nodded. “Even if I would love to know where they are… I’ve got the feeling that I’m letting them down now. If there was a way to return… I promised that we would stay together.”

Remus put a hand on my shoulder. “It’s not your fault, Sirius.” He said and I would have liked to scream in frustration. I had to protect them! What if something happened and I wasn’t there…?

“If you wouldn’t have been there, things would have ended even worse.” Kingsley said. “You don’t have to blame yourself. You made it possible for them to escape. You saved them, Sirius. And I’m sure that there will be a chance to find them again soon.” Somehow, the calm tone in which Kingsley said those things made me feel a little better.

“What are you going to do now?” Tonks, who had returned with our tea some time ago, asked Kingsley.

He shrugged. “I’m helping out where I can. Fred and George even asked me to talk in their radio show next week. I think I’ll do it. Maybe it can really help the people out there who also suffer under the control of the Death Eaters.”

Remus nodded. “They asked me as well. I also said yes.” He told Kingsley.

“Are you going to tell the others that Sirius is still alive?” Tonks asked and Kingsley nodded with a look at me.

“If you don’t want it, I don’t have to do it. But maybe it gives them hope to know that the others escaped and you are alright…”

I sighed. “Tell them that Harry and the others are safe on their mission. They’ll see that I’m alive soon.” I looked at Remus. “After all, there’s a trip to Shell Cottage being planned. And don’t tell them what really happened at the Ministry. I don’t think it’s a good idea if too many people knew about it now.”

Kingsley nodded. “You have my word.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

We talked about the previous events some more – Kingsley told us about what happened to him – before Kingsley decided to leave late in the evening. He said we would see him at Shell Cottage as well.

After he’d left, Tonks went to bed. Remus and I sat in the living room in silence.

“You should go to sleep as well.” I said with a concerned look at my best friend. “You didn’t sleep last night, did you?”

Remus shook his head. “I was too worried.” He admitted and stood up slowly. “Don’t blame yourself, Sirius. It’s not your fault that you got separated. And have a good night.”

“Good night.” I whispered and wondered how Remus always knew those things.


	57. Chapter 57

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

The next day seemed to pass rather slowly.

We had left the forest where the Quidditch World Cup had taken place in the afternoon of the previous day. Since I had been traveling with my parents a lot in the holidays, I knew some places where we could stay. I hoped that no one would find us there, but I doubted that anyone would make a connection between the places where I had spent my holidays and where we could be now. So no one should be looking for us.

After we had set up the tent and eaten something, Harry had left to take the first watch. Outside, he had been able to look into Voldemort’s mind again. After everything that had happened in the past days, this had made me furious. I knew that I hadn’t been very nice to Harry, however I couldn’t stop myself in that moment. I had always hated the connection between him and Voldemort and somehow, it made everything even worse. So I had just told him to go inside and get some sleep while I stayed outside to keep watch. I hadn’t been able to sleep either way.

To be completely honest, I had been listening to Harry and Ron’s conversation about the things Harry had seen. And it had made me curious somehow. Gregorovitch, a wandmaker. And a thief. Where was the connection? And what did Voldemort want that was stolen from Gregorovitch? I knew that I couldn’t tell Harry and Ron that I was thinking about all this as well. I didn’t even know why I did. Maybe because Sirius always said that these looks into Voldemort’s mind could be important to us?

All those things came into my mind while I was sitting on my bed inside the tent and looked through the copy of  _The Tales of Beedle The Bard_ Dumbledore had left me. Since I didn’t know what to do, I had just grabbed the book and opened it. Again, I asked myself why he had left it to me. The stories were made for children. I sighed. There were so many things about Dumbledore we couldn’t understand. Nevertheless, I had to admit that I liked the book. Somehow, it was sweet. And it distracted me in times like this and I really needed that. 

When I heard footsteps coming towards me, I looked up. Harry sat down on the bed next to me. “Did you find anything interesting yet?” He asked and I shook my head. Harry looked disappointed and I couldn’t blame him. I had also expected a secret message or something like that from Dumbledore.

“It seems to be a normal book.” I said and shrugged. “I mean, I’m not through it yet. There are many stories I haven’t read so far. Maybe I’ll find something…” I closed the book and put it down on the small table next to the bed. “I don’t understand why Dumbledore left it to me. There has to be something. But wouldn’t the Ministry had already found it?”

Harry shook his head. “I don’t think so. Dumbledore knew very well what he was doing. And if there is a secret message, I’m sure that only you can find it. It won’t have been too difficult for him to delude the Ministry.”

I thought about this for a moment, though Harry’s words didn’t convince me. I doubted that there was something special about this book, as much as I wanted it. Suddenly, I remembered a day at the Burrow many weeks ago. I had been sitting on my bed, just like Harry and I did now. However, Sirius had been with me. And he held the same book in his hands we were talking about now. He had looked through it – he didn’t have any problems at reading runes – and then handed it back to me with a strange expression on his face. ‘Read it attentively, I bet Albus has hidden more in it than we expect.’ 

“Sirius thought that there was a secret message as well.” I whispered and at the mentioning of Sirius’ name, Harry hugged me tightly. I didn’t want to cry again, but I wasn’t successful. When he let go, Harry had a sad expression on his face. And I noticed that there was something else in his eyes. Anger maybe? I wasn’t sure.

“When there is one, you’ll find it. I’m sure about this.” Harry said and tried to smile. It didn’t reach his eyes.

“Do you think he’s all right?” I couldn’t hold back the question, even if I knew that it wouldn’t change anything to talk about this right now. We didn’t know what happened to Sirius.

Harry tried to look confident and nodded. “You know Sirius, I bet he escaped. And then he’ll be all right.”

I swallowed and we fell silent. I couldn’t say how long we sat there like this. After some time, Ron came to us as well. He was wearing the locket around his neck and wasn’t in a very good mood. It didn’t surprise me. I had felt it as well while I had been wearing the Horcrux. It was a feeling like you couldn’t be happy again and all your fears and worries seemed to be a thousand times worse. I would have loved to ask if we could stop wearing it, but I knew that Harry would say no. It was too important and we couldn’t risk losing it.

After all, we had sacrificed so much to get it.

* * *

Days passed and slowly, they turned into weeks. We moved every day to make sure that no one could find us and since our trip to the Ministry, we hadn’t seen a single person except for some Muggles when we tried to get some food. We were alone. And we still didn’t know what happened to Sirius or how the others were. It was driving us crazy. And the locket didn’t make it any better. We were fighting very often and somehow, I had a feeling that it was responsible for this as well.

I was feeling tired. I never slept very long at night and mostly, I had nightmares as well. They were always about losing Sirius. It was terrible.

One night, when we were sitting in the tent again – we were somewhere in Wales – Ron started to talk about food again. He did that very often, especially when he was wearing the Horcrux. And of course we started to argue again.

“ _You_ can do the cooking tomorrow, Ron, _you_ can find the ingredients and try and charm them into something worth eating, and I’ll sit here and pull faces and moan and you can see how you –“ I said when I finally had enough of Ron complaining about my cooking. However, Harry interrupted me. I was angry. 

“Shut up! Now!” Harry said and stood up. He held up both hands. I just wanted to say something again, when Harry shook his head. “Hermione, be quiet, I can hear someone!”

Suddenly, it was completely silent in our tent. After our argument, it was even too silent. Harry still held up both hands and tried to listen. I did it as well. And he was right, there were voices. Far away and I couldn’t make out what was being said, but they were there. I exchanged a look with Harry and then we both turned to our Sneakoscope. It was not moving.

“You cast the _Muffliato_ charm over us, right?” Harry whispered and I nodded. 

“I did everything. _Muffliato_ , Muggle-Repelling and Disillusionment Charms, all of it. They shouldn’t be able to hear or see us, whoever they are.” I whispered back and then we waited. We heard footsteps coming closer and drew our wands. However, the people seemed to turn towards the river next to our tent. My heart was racing in my chest. 

Then I had an idea. I stood up and walked to my bed quickly. My bag was lying under the pillow. I opened it and after a few moments, I had three Extendable Ears in my hand. I threw two of them to Harry and Ron and together, we sneaked to the entrance of the tent. When one end of the Ears was outside, we pressed the other one into our ears. I still wondered where Fred and George’s ideas came from.

“Griphook, Gornuk.” A male voice said and I had to stop myself from making a surprised noise. _Goblins!_ I told Harry silently and he nodded. 

“Thank you.” The goblins murmured together in English. I didn’t know what they were talking about. However, it didn’t seem to be important, since another man started to speak.

“So, you three have been on the run, how long?”

“Six weeks… seven… I forget. Met up with Griphook in the first couple of days and joined forces with Gornuk not long after. Nice to have a bit of company.” There was a pause. “What made you leave, Ted?”

“Knew they were coming for me.” The other man replied and I thought that the voice sounded familiar. And when I saw Harry’s expression, I knew that we had already met him somewhere. But where…? “Heard Death Eaters were in the area last week and decided I’d better run for it. Refused to register as a Muggleborn on principle, see, so I knew it was a matter of time, knew I’d have to leave in the end. My wife should be fine, she’s pure-blood. And then I met Dean here a few days ago.”

“Yeah.” Another voice said and we all recognized it immediately. I stared at Harry and Ron silently. They seemed to be just as surprised as I was myself. It was Dean Thomas!

“Muggleborn?” The first man asked.

“Not sure. My dad left my mum when I was a kid. I’ve got no proof he was a wizard, though.” Dean said and his words were followed by silence. My heart was racing even more now. This was the last thing I expected. And suddenly, I also knew who the other man with the familiar voice was. Ted Tonks!

“I’ve got to say, Dirk, I’m surprised to run into you. Pleased, but surprised. Word was you’d been caught.”

“I was.” Dirk said. “I was halfway to Azkaban when I made a break for it, Stunned Dawlish and nicked his broom. It was easier than you’d think, I don’t reckon he’s quite right at the moment. Might be Confunded. If so, I’d like to shake the hand of the witch or wizard who did it, probably saved my life.”

There was another pause after which they started to talk about goblins and them taking sides in the wizarding war. Of course they said that it wasn’t their business. I hadn’t expected anything else.

“Gringotts is no longer under the sole control of my race. I recognize no wizarding master.” Griphook said now and when he said something else I couldn’t hear, the goblins started to laugh.

“What’s the joke?” Dean asked.

“He said that there are things wizards don’t recognize either.” Dirk said and then there was a pause again.

“I don’t get it.” Dean said finally.

“I had my small revenge before I left.” Griphook told them.

“You didn’t manage to lock a Death Eater up in one of the old high-security vaults, I suppose?” Ted asked.

“If I had, the sword would not have helped him break out.” Griphook replied and the others laughed.

“Dean and I are still missing something here.” Ted said.

“So is Severus Snape, though he does not know it.” Griphook said and the other goblins laughed again. I looked at Harry, who was staring at me as well, an excited look on his face. We all wanted to know what was going on.

“Didn’t you hear about that, Ted? About the kids who tried to steal Gryffindor’s sword out of Snape’s office at Hogwarts?” Dirk asked and now we all gasped silently.

“Never heard a word. Not in the _Prophet_ , was it?” Ted asked. 

“Hardly. Griphook here told me, he heard about it from Bill Weasley who works for the bank. One of the kids who tried to take the sword was Bill’s younger sister.” My heart seemed to stop for a moment and I saw Ron turn pale. Harry turned to look at us, his eyes wide.

“She and a couple of friends got into Snape’s office and smashed open the glass case where he was apparently keeping the sword. Snape caught them as they were trying to smuggle it down the staircase.”

“What did they think, that they’d be able to use the sword on You-Know-Who? Or on Snape himself?” Ted asked slowly, sounding worried.

“Well, whatever they thought they were going to do with it, Snape decided the sword wasn’t safe where it was. Couple of days later, once he’d got the say so from You-Know-Who, I imagine, he sent it down to London to be kept in Gringotts instead.” Dirk told them and the goblins started to laugh again.

“I’m still not seeing the joke.” Ted said hesitantly.

“It’s a fake!” Griphook said, still laughing.

“The sword of Gryffindor!”

“Oh yes, it is a copy – an excellent copy, it is true – but it was wizard-made. The original was forged centuries ago by goblins and had certain properties only goblin-made armor possesses. Wherever the genuine sword of Gryffindor is, it is not in a vault at Gringotts Bank.” Griphook finished his story. He was still laughing.

I exchanged a look with Harry again. His hands were shaking and he looked ill. I was worried as well. What happened to Ginny and the others?

“I see. And I take it you didn’t bother telling the Death Eaters this?” Ted asked in a rather calm tone. Probably, he was just as surprised as we were by this story.

“I saw no reason to trouble them with the information.” Griphook said and I had the feeling that he was grinning. Now they were all laughing.

We didn’t feel like that. We were all standing there, pale-faced and shivering. All waiting for the most important question to be asked. And finally, Dean did it. “What happened to Ginny and the others? The ones who tried to steal it?”

“Oh, they were punished, and cruelly.” Griphook said indifferently.

“They’re all right, though?” Ted asked quickly. “I mean, the Weasley’s don’t need any more of their kids injured, do they?”

“They suffered no serious injury, as far as I am aware.” Griphook said.

“Lucky for them. With Snape’s track record, I suppose we should just be glad they’re still alive.” Ted replied.

“You believe that story, then, do you, Ted?” Dirk asked. “You believe Snape killed Dumbledore?”

“Of course I do. You’re not going to sit there and tell me you think Potter had anything to do with it?”

“Hard to know what to believe these days.” Dirk muttered.

“I know Harry Potter.” Dean cut in. “And I reckon he’s the real thing – the Chosen One, or whatever you want to call it.”

“Yeah, there’s a lot would like to believe he’s that, son, me included.” Dirk said. “But where is he? Run for it, by the looks of things. You’d think, if he knew anything we don’t, or had anything special going for him, he’d be out there now fighting, rallying resistance, instead of hiding. And you know, the _Prophet_ made pretty good case against him –“ 

“The _Prophet_? You deserve to be lied to if you’re still reading that muck, Dirk. You want facts, try _The Quibbler_.” Ted said. “And don’t start to insult it, Xeno Lovegood’s printing all the stuff the _Prophet_ ignores nowadays. In the last issue, Crumple-Horned Snorkacks haven’t even been mentioned. I don’t know how long they’ll let him do this, but right now he always tells the people to help Harry Potter in every possible way.” 

“Hard to help a boy who’s vanished off the face of the earth.” Dirk muttered.

“Listen, the fact that they haven’t caught him yet is one hell of an achievement. I’d take tips from him gladly. It’s what we’re trying to do, stay free, isn’t it?” Ted said and Dirk sighed.

“Yeah, well, you’ve got a point there. With the whole of the Ministry and all their informers looking for him, I’d have expected him to be caught by now. Mind, who’s to say they haven’t already caught and killed him without publicizing it?”

“Don’t say that, Dirk.” Ted murmured and hesitated. “Some people say that he has been seen a few weeks ago.” He said suddenly and we exchanged looks again. I didn’t think that the Death Eaters would let anyone know about this. Or did Ted hear it from a member of the Order?

“What do you mean?” Dirk asked, suddenly attentive.

“Harry Potter and his friends. Some people whisper that they had been at the Ministry for whatever reasons. I don’t know if it’s true. After that, they vanished again.”

Dirk made a thoughtful noise. “And you really believe that, Ted? If they were really there, how did they get out? It should have been impossible.”

“No, it wasn’t impossible. Not when someone stayed behind.” My heart began to race. Could it really be possible that he knew something about Sirius? Next to me, Harry’s breathing fastened.

“What do you mean by that?”

“They also said that there had been a fight afterwards. Very bloody, it didn’t end well. Seems like Sirius Black blew up a whole building. They think he’s dead, though you never can be sure. Maybe they’ve captured him, or he’s escaped.”

“And you really believe this story?” Dirk asked, sounding skeptical.

“As I said, it’s a rumor. Though I believe the people who told me this.” Ted said.

“And who are they?” Dirk asked, but Ted didn’t answer the question. A long silence followed, after which they started to discuss where they should sleep that night.

We still stood there, frozen in shock. It took us some time to be able to move again. We removed the Extendable Ears and went back to the table slowly. And then it hit me. I ran to my bag again and began to search for something special. It didn’t take me long to find it.

“Hermione, have you heard… The sword… Ginny… Sirius….” Harry began and frowned when he saw me searching in the bag. “Hermione, what are you –“ Harry began, but he stopped when he saw what I pulled out of the bag. It was a portrait. And then he understood. It wasn’t easy to convince Phineas Nigellus to talk to us. However, we found out two things. The sword in the headmaster’s office really was a fake, made by Dumbledore himself. And the real sword could destroy Horcruxes. But where was it?

“Not at Hogwarts.” Harry said. He was walking around the table restlessly.

“Somewhere in Hogsmeade?” I suggested and Harry stopped for a few moments.

“The Shrieking Shack? Nobody ever goes in there.”

“But Snape knows how to get in, wouldn’t that be a bit risky?”

“Dumbledore trusted Snape.” Harry reminded me and began to walk around the table again.

“Not enough to tell him that he had swapped the swords.” I said and Harry nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re right… So, would he have hidden the sword well away from Hogsmeade, then? What do you think, Ron?” Harry asked and looked around. Ron wasn’t sitting with us at the table and when I turned, I saw him lying on his bed.

“Oh, remembered me, have you?” he asked in a cold voice.

“What?” Harry asked, not understanding what he meant.

Ron stood up slowly and began to walk towards us. “Just carry on thinking about the sword and where it might be hidden, don’t let me spoil your fun.”

Harry turned to me, a confused look on his face. However, all I could do was to shake my head. I didn’t understand what he was talking about as well. Too many things were running through my mind right now. Ginny and the sword, Sirius…  _Seems like Sirius Black blew up a whole building. They think he’s dead, though you never can be sure. Maybe they’ve captured him, or he’s escaped…_

“What’s the problem?” Harry asked.

“Problem? There’s no problem.” Ron said, though he didn’t look at Harry or me. “Not according to you, anyway.”

Silence followed Ron’s words. Outside, it was starting to rain.

“Well, you’ve obviously got a problem. Spit it out, will you?” Harry asked and Ron stopped in front of the table, his arms crossed. Somehow, he didn’t look like himself. I’d never seen such a dark expression on his face. My eyes searched for the locket around his neck.

“All right, I’ll spit it out. Don’t expect me to skip up and down the tent because there’s some other damn thing we’ve got to find. Just add it to the list of stuff you don’t know.” Ron said and Harry shook his head in confusion.

“I don’t know?” He repeated.

I stood up slowly, somehow this conversation made me feel uneasy. As if something bad was going to happen.

“It’s not like I’m having the time of my life here.” Ron said. “You know, without anything to eat and freezing every night… I just hoped, you know, after we’d been running round a few weeks, we’d have achieved something. But no, we didn’t. We’re just sitting here and do nothing.”

“Ron.” I muttered, though I doubted that he’d heard me.

“I thought you knew what you’d signed up for.” Harry said slowly.

“I thought I did too.” Ron replied.

“So what part of it isn’t living up to your expectations?” Harry asked. He sounded angry and I understood why. However, I really wanted them to stop arguing. “Did you think we’d be staying in five star hotels? Finding a Horcrux every other day? Did you think you’d be back to Mummy by Christmas?”

“I thought you knew what you were doing!” Ron shouted and took a step towards Harry. “I thought Dumbledore had told you what to do, I thought you had a real plan!”

“Ron!” I said, more loudly this time. He ignored me.

“Well, sorry to let you down. I’ve been straight with you from the start, I told you everything Dumbledore told me. And in case you haven’t noticed, we’ve found one Horcrux –“

“Yeah, and we’re about as near getting rid of it as we are to finding the rest of them. And you want to know what? I just can’t stand it anymore.” Now he looked at me as well. “The two of you, you’re always crying about Sirius. That we don’t know what happened to him and if there’s a way to find out… No one knows what happened, you’ve heard it yourselves! And you just don’t manage to do anything useful since he’s gone! It’s like he’s been leading this group and not you, Harry!” I felt like he’d hit me and took a step back. Next to me, Harry stared at Ron silently.

“Take off the locket, Ron!” I said in a determinant tone. “Take it off, you wouldn’t be talking like this if you hadn’t been wearing it all day!”

“So why are you still here?” Harry asked in a cold tone.

“I don’t know!” Ron shouted. “Maybe I will go. Didn’t you hear what they said about my sister? But you don’t seem to care about it! It’s only the Forbidden Forest, Harry _I’ve-Faced-Worse_ Potter doesn’t care whatever happens to others in there! And what about the rest of my family, ‘the Weasley's don’t need another kid injured’, did you hear that?” 

“Ron –“ I tried again, but he ignored me again.

“Not bothered what it meant?” He asked, still looking at Harry.

“Ron!” I said, even louder this time. “I don’t think it means anything new has happened, anything we don’t know about. Ron, just think about it! Bill’s already scarred, plenty of people must have seen that George has lost an ear by now, and you’re supposed to be on your deathbed with spattergroit, I’m sure that’s all he meant!”

“Oh, you’re sure, are you? Right then, well, I won’t bother myself about them. It’s all right for you two, isn’t it, with your parents safely out of the way –“

“My parents are _dead_!” Harry shouted. “And it’s not only them! We still don’t know what happened to Sirius, he could also be dead! Or even worse! But you don’t seem to care about that. Do you even think of him? He saved your life as well, you should remember that! Without him, we’d all died back there at the Ministry! And Hermione has sacrificed so much as well! Don’t you dare talk to us like this!” 

“But my parents could also be dead soon!” Ron yelled.

“Then GO! Go back to them, pretend you’ve got over your spattergroit and Mummy’ll be able to feed you up and –“ Harry shouted and then Ron made another step towards him. I reacted instinctively. I reached for my wand and raised it.

“ _Protego_!” I said loudly and the invisible shield expanded between Harry and Ron. I didn’t want them to do anything they would regret later. They both had to take a few steps back because of the spell. 

“Leave the Horcrux.” Harry said in a cold voice and Ron took the locket off. He threw it onto the chair next to him. From the corner of my eyes, I looked at Harry’s face. The hate I saw there made me feel cold.

“So you are going to stay?” Ron asked and I needed a few moments to realize that he meant me.

“I… What – Of course I’m staying!” I said and shook my head. “We’ve said we would help Harry! And I won’t change my mind about this.” Sirius would have wanted it, I added in thoughts. I didn’t dare to say it aloud, not wanting to give Ron another reason to shout at us.

“I get it.” Ron muttered and turned around. He left the tent and I tried to follow him, however my own shield charm prevented me from doing so.

“Ron, come back!” I shouted, but I already heard the sound of him disapparating when I left the tent. I stood there for a few moments, the rain falling down on me, trying to realize what just happened.


	58. Chapter 58

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

“I see.” Remus said slowly and leaned against the counter in the kitchen. There was a disappointed look on his face. He’d just asked me about the mission Dumbledore had given us again. And I had told him that I couldn’t say anything. Of course Remus didn’t expect an answer, he knew that we kept our secret as good as possible. However, this didn’t stop him from trying.

“I’m sorry, Moony.” I said and stood up from my chair. “But you know that we promised Albus not to tell anyone else.”

He nodded and smiled sadly. “It was stupid to ask again, I know.” Remus said after a while. “But sometimes, even I get curious.”

I smiled slightly. “I don’t blame you for that. If I wouldn’t know what was going on, I would ask as well. And I bet I’d be even more stubborn than you are.”

Now Remus’ smile turned into an amused grin. “You’d be horribly annoying!” He said and I crossed my arms, though I couldn’t stop myself from grinning as well.

I just opened my mouth to reply something when Tonks entered the kitchen. She was wearing a long, dark coat and looked at us expectantly. “Are you ready or do you want to discuss all this for a few more hours? I bet the others would be very happy if they would have to wait for us a little longer.” She said and now Remus and I exchanged a look. It seemed like we’d forgotten the time. We had to go now.

We made our way towards the front door silently. When I took my jacket, I could look at myself in the mirror for a few moments. I still looked very bad, even if the bruises started to fade slowly. And somehow, I didn’t look like myself anymore. Thanks to Tonks. It took her some time to convince me that my beard was far too obvious and after many protests, I had shaved it off. And she had cut my hair, which was much shorter than before; it didn’t even reach my shoulders. 

After that, Remus had looked at me for a few moments silently before a wide smile had appeared on his lips. “You look great, Sirius.” He had said and the gleam in his eyes told me that he really meant it. “And much younger.” Tonks had added with a cunning smile.

First, I didn’t like the changes very much. It took me a few days to accept my new appearance. However, I thought that it wasn’t so bad now. Tonks had been right, I looked much younger. And different. Again, I asked myself what the others would think if they saw me now.

The rest of the week hadn’t been too exciting. Kingsley had visited again after a few days – he had told us that the other members of the Order were glad that Harry could escape – and once, Tonks mother had visited. However, I hadn’t been there to meet her as well. Remus was very careful about our secret and he didn’t want too many people to know that I was here. So I had spent the time she had been there upstairs, reading one of Remus’ old books. Afterwards, Tonks had been crying a lot. When I asked Remus about it later, he told me that Ted, Tonks’ father, had left some time ago. He was Muggleborn and had been afraid that the Death Eaters would come to get him.

Since then, he was on the run. No one knew where he was now. The last time a member of the Order had seen him was nearly a week ago – shortly after our trip to the Ministry. After that, it was like he’d vanished. Of course they were very worried about him.

And hearing those things made me feel bad as well. I had only met Ted Tonks once – maybe a year after the Ministry had declared that I was innocent – and he seemed to be a very nice man. I felt sorry for Tonks and her mother. However, Tonks’ bad mood didn’t last very long. The next day, it seemed like nothing had happened at all. To be honest, I thought that she didn’t like me seeing her cry.

Now we made our way towards the door. Kingsley had given me his old Invisibility Cloak and I hadn’t complained about this since mine was still in Hermione’s bag. I put it on before Remus opened the door and after he made sure that no one could see me, he nodded. The front yard was surrounded by high hedges, so it wasn’t easy for the neighbors or other people on the street to see us. After we left the house, Remus pointed at the door with his wand. I knew exactly what he was doing; he used the same spells I had used when I had sealed up Grimmauld Place.

Which reminded me of Kreacher again. I still wasn’t sure if it had been right to send the house elf back to the empty house after I had called him a few days ago. However, it had been the only possibility in that moment. And I wanted Kreacher to know that everything was all right – he had been worried when we didn’t return. There also was another positive point about Kreacher coming here, now I could wear my own clothes again and didn’t have to borrow something from Remus anymore.

Now Remus turned to Tonks, who was looking around to make sure that no one saw us. Of course there were spells on the house which prevented others from that, but you could never be completely sure. When she nodded, Remus held out his hand and Tonks took it. With a look towards where I was standing, Remus held out his other hand. Once I had taken it as well, he disapparated.

Shell Cottage was a beautiful place. Even before the darkness around me faded I could hear the waves and the cries of a few seagulls. I opened my eyes slowly and saw a small house standing in front of us. It stood on a cliff and there were no other houses close to it.

Remus had told me that Bill and Fleur chose this house because it was secluded, but I doubted that it was their only reason now that I saw it. It had a small garden in which many flowers grew and I knew immediately that it was Fleur who had chosen them.

To be honest, it was a lonely place, perfect for times like this. However, it was also very peaceful here. I looked around again. Remus had been right, I couldn’t see anything else except the nature around us. The next village, Tinworth, was located a few miles away from here. We were alone.

Remus and Tonks were still standing next to me. Remus held Tonks hand and they seemed to enjoy the moment. Remus had closed his eyes and smiled while the wind ran through Tonks’ hair (which was red now). They looked happy together, which made my heart ache. I missed Hermione and it drove me crazy that there was no way to get back to the others. I had thought about it the entire week, but I just couldn’t find a way to contact them. Not when they were hiding this good. Sometimes, I wanted to curse them for their carefulness. But then I always remembered that I was the one who told them to be this attentive.

I sighed and hoped that the others couldn’t hear it. I was worried for Harry, Hermione and Ron. Somehow, they were too good at getting in trouble. What where they doing right now? We had talked about getting the locket very much, but we had never discussed what we would do with it once we really got it. It was very difficult to destroy Horcruxes and if they didn’t find a way to get rid of that damn locket…

Next to me, Remus looked around. “Sirius, are you here?” He whispered.

“Of course I am.” I whispered back and Remus turned to Tonks.

“Shall we?” He asked and she nodded. A smile had appeared on her lips and while we walked towards the house in front of us, Tonks closed her eyes and her hair changed from red to pink.

There was a doorbell which Remus ignored. He knocked on the door with his hand in a special rhythm and it didn’t take long until an answer came. Then the door was opened slowly. Bill Weasley stood in front of us, his wand in his hand. When he saw Remus and Tonks, he relaxed again. However, the wand was still in his hand.

“My name is Remus John Lupin, I am a werewolf, member of the Order of the Phoenix and next to me stands my wife, Nymphadora Tonks. We came here because you invited us and we wanted to have some fun here. And back to the question you asked me the last time we saw you, no, Fred wasn’t right, your hair looks better when it’s cut short.” Remus said in a calm voice and at his last words, Bill began to laugh. He let his wand sink completely and gestured Remus and Tonks to enter the house.

“It’s good to see you again, Remus.” He said and grinned. “And you too, Tonks.” Before Tonks entered the house, she hugged him. However, Remus remained standing next to Bill and whispered something into his ear. I couldn’t hear it with the wind and the waves around me, but suddenly Bill looked into the direction where I was standing attentively. He raised his eyebrows and I had to grin under the Invisibility Cloak. Slowly, Bill took a few steps back and allowed me to enter the house. Remus stood there with a patient expression on his face.

“So show yourself, unknown visitor!” Bill said in a light tone, though I could hear the tension in his voice. Apparently, Remus didn’t tell him that it was me. I took off the cloak and grinned at the man in front of me. I wasn’t prepared for Bill’s reaction. Once he saw me, he took a step back towards the door and paled. He blinked at me a few times, unable to speak. 

“Sirius, but they said you were – I mean, you are –“ Bill shook his head slowly and looked from me to Remus and back. I was still smiling, even if I raised my eyebrows now. “They said you were _dead_.” Bill said finally and I chuckled. 

“Yeah, well, I think I have to disappoint them.” I said and before I knew what was happening, Bill hugged me tightly. Luckily, the bruises on my body had started to fade slowly so I could hold back the pained groan. However, there must have been a pained expression on my face since Bill took a step back quickly and smiled sheepishly. In the meantime, Remus had taken a few steps in my direction and now he was standing next to me. He raised his eyebrows and I shrugged.

“What happened to you?” Bill asked now and looked at me closely. When he saw the bruises on my throat, he frowned.

“It’s a long story.” I said simply and he nodded.

“Did you really show yourself at the Ministry?” He asked and I grinned.

“Sort of. But I think the others want to hear the story as well.”

At this, Bill nodded. “Do you know if Harry, Ron and Hermione are all right?”

“They escaped. And I hope that they haven’t been caught yet.” I answered and next to me, Remus put a hand on my shoulder.

“I think we would know that.” He said and smiled reassuringly.

Suddenly, Bill grinned. “The others are already there, you were the last ones to arrive.” He told Remus and turned to me. “Shall we surprise them? They’re waiting for us in the living room.”

I grinned. “If you want to make it so dramatic, I certainly won’t stop you.”

We followed Remus more slowly and in the living room, I could already hear the others greeting him. I recognized the voices of Fred and George, Lee Jordan, Kingsley and Fleur. Bill gestured for me to wait at the door and then he entered the living room as well.

“What took you so long, Bill? We want to start!” Fred – or was it George? – said and the twins laughed.

“Yeah, I bet there are already people waiting for our show!” This was Lee Jordan, I had met him at the Burrow once and knew his voice.

“Come on and sit down, you’re the first one to talk.” Again one of the twins. However, Bill remained standing. I imagined that he was grinning at the others in front of us.

“We have another guest.” Bill said simply and now many confused questions followed those words.

“What do you mean?”

“Who else is here?”

“Why didn’t you tell me that someone else was coming?”

In the mixture of voices, it wasn’t difficult to hear Fleur and her accent. She sounded offended and somehow, I felt sorry for Bill. He didn’t even know that I was coming. Or even alive.

“I didn’t tell you” Bill started in a calm voice “because I learned that we had one more guest when he was already standing in front of me. He came with Remus and Tonks. And before you start to question them as well” I knew this was directed to Fred and George “you can just see who it is by yourselves.” 

I shook my head and grinned. Apparently, Bill really wanted to make this dramatic. When I entered the room, I was still grinning. I didn’t get the chance to say very much. Once I entered the living room, Fleur cried out in shock, while Fred and George exchanged a look before they started to grin at me as well.

“Sirius!” Fred called out and jumped to his feet. Next to him, George did the same.

“You’re alive!”

“So it seems!” I said and then they were already there and hugged me as well. Lee Jordan stood up to shake my hand and Fleur, who was very pale now, just smiled at me. Kingsley stood up as well and we shook hands. “It’s good to see you again, Sirius.” Kingsley said in a calm tone.

Next to him, Fred and George had started to discuss how I could have survived everything. They turned to me now.

“Why on earth are you alive?” Fred asked and shook his head wide-eyed. “They said you were dead!”

“And what happened to the others? Where are they? We thought you were with them.” George added.

I sat down on a chair next to Remus. “It’s a long story.” I said and smiled slightly. “Don’t you want to send your show first?”

Now Lee Jordan whispered something in Fred’s ear and he nodded. “Kingsley doesn’t have that much time, right?”

Kingsley nodded. “And I already know Sirius’ story, so it wouldn’t bother me to miss it.” He said in his normal, calm tone.

“You knew he was alive?” Now Bill looked at Kingsley questioningly. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“Because I asked him not to do it.” I cut in quickly. “It was more important that you knew that Harry, Ron and Hermione could escape from the Death Eaters.”

“And where are they now?” Fred asked; his grin had vanished.

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be here anymore.” I said simply.

“You don’t _know_?!” 

I sighed and nodded. “Sadly, I don’t. We never discussed what we would do in a situation like this. I always told them to hide as good as possible. And that’s what they are doing now. And it’s impossible for anyone to find them.”

Fred and George exchanged a look. Suddenly, the good mood in the room had changed into something cold and concerned.

“You stayed behind so they could escape?” Fleur asked and I nodded, a little surprised.

“And you can all see that it didn’t end very well.” Remus muttered darkly.

“I survived, didn’t I?” I shrugged. “It was their only chance. Otherwise, we’d all have been caught.”

“It was very brave of you.” Fleur said and her words were followed by silence. They were all looking at me now with thoughtful expressions on their faces. Slowly, I began to feel uncomfortable. After all, it was nothing special what I had done. It had been necessary.

Lee Jordan cleared his throat. “Do we want to start, then?” He asked and slowly, the others started to look over the papers in front of them again. “Tell me when you’re ready.”

The next twenty minutes, Lee Jordan, Fed, George, Bill, Kingsley and Remus talked about a few things that had happened. I was still impressed by their radio show, PotterWatch. They did a very good job, it was not too serious and you could even laugh a few times. Except for the announcement of the missing and dead people. When George read out the list, I swallowed. There were so many names on it.

At the end, Lee Jordan turned to Remus again to ask his final question. “What would you tell Harry Potter now if you knew that he was listening to this?”

Remus cleared his throat. “I would tell him that he has to be courageous and that we’re all thinking of him. He can do this, whatever he is doing and wherever he is. We believe in him. And we always will, no matter what happens. He’s not alone.” At his last words, Remus looked at me and I smiled.

After that, Lee Jordan made an announcement for their next show and told the listeners which password you needed for it. When he had finished, he leaned back on the couch. “You were great, really! I think it was our best show so far!”

“Only because it is our third show.” Fred said and grimaced. “I bet you’ll say every time we do this.”

Lee looked offended and crossed his arms. “No, I really meant that! You were good.”

“Oh come on, Fred! He’s praising us! Don’t ruin the moment.” George cut in and hit his brother on the arm playfully. While they began to argue, Remus turned to me.

“He’s asking it every time we do this. What we want to tell Harry if he can hear us now.” He added when he saw the questioning look on my face.

I smiled. “What you said…” I hesitated and Remus smiled. He knew what I meant, even if I didn’t have to finish my sentence.

“I should go now.” Kingsley stood up and we all shook hands. “We’ll see each other soon, I hope.” He told us and with one last smile he left the house. We all remained in the living room and sat there in silence.

Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. Fleur looked at Bill questioningly, but he just shook his head, a clueless look on his face. Apparently, they didn’t expect any more guests. Bill took his wand and walked to the door. He knocked on it a few times and opened it slowly. Then someone entered the house. “It’s all right!” Bill called once he’d closed the door behind himself. “It’s just dad!” At those words, Fred and George grinned and a few moments later, Arthur Weasley entered the living room.

He looked even more tired than the last time I saw him in the Ministry. He had dark rings under his eyes and I doubted that he slept very much in the past nights. He smiled at us. “It’s good to see you all.” However, he froze when he saw me sitting on a chair next to Remus. His smile faded and Arthur frowned.

“My god, Sirius, what are you…?” He didn’t finish his sentence and I smiled.

“It’s good to see you too, Arthur.” I began and stood up slowly. “And no, I’m not dead as you see. It’s a complicated story… and it will take me some time to explain everything.”

Arthur still looked at me silently. He was very pale. “They said you were dead. That you were killed when you wanted to escape.”

I nodded. “I nearly was.” I told him and slowly, Arthur was able to move again. He sat down in the armchair where Kingsley had been sitting some time ago.

“Where is Ron? And the others, Harry and Hermione? What happened to them?” Arthur asked quietly and I sighed.

“Maybe now it’s time for my story.” I said. Fred and George sat up immediately, a curious look on their faces. “But first, you have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone what I’m saying now.”

They all agreed immediately and then I began to tell them about our trip to the Ministry. I left out everything that seemed unimportant and again, I didn’t tell them why we did all this. I just said it was necessary for the mission Dumbledore had given us. When I came to the part where I had talked to Arthur, he laughed. “I knew that something was wrong with him that day! But if I would have known that it was you, Sirius…!” He shook his head and laughed again.

However, the others looked serious when I described our escape and my fight with Yaxley.

“You blew up a public toilet?!” Fred and George asked at the same time and grinned at me.

Somehow, I had to grin as well. I nodded. “It was my only chance to escape.”

“That’s great! And it’s also quite impressing what you did to Yaxley.”

I laughed. “In that moment, it wasn’t impressing, you can believe that. It didn’t end too well for me.”

Next to me, Remus nodded. “When he appeared in front of my house that night, I thought he was nearly dead.” He smiled, but it looked pained. The others didn’t seem to notice it.

“And the others? You really don’t know where they are?” Arthur asked and I shook my head.

“I would like to know it as well. There’s nothing I want more than to return to them, but it’s impossible. You can’t find them. I just hope they’re alright.” I said slowly and swallowed.

“I bet they’re fine.” Fred said. “After all, they could escape because of you.”

“I just hope they won’t do something like that again…” Arthur muttered. “Breaking into the Ministry… You didn’t tell us why you did it.”

“You know I can’t tell you that, Arthur.” I repeated. “We had to do it for the mission Dumbledore had left Harry. You just have to trust us with that.”

“I don’t think that it’s easy to trust someone who does something like this…” Bill muttered and I shot him an angry look.

“I trusted Albus Dumbledore.” Remus said suddenly. “And I trust Harry as well.” He turned to me. “Even if he does something like this.”

I smiled. “Thank you, Remus.” I whispered and he smiled back at me. “And we should all trust Harry.” I added more loudly. “It may seem stupid to you what we did, but we wouldn’t have done it without a good reason.”

Bill sighed. “I’m sorry, Sirius. I shouldn’t have said that.” He closed his eyes. “It’s just that I was already worried about you and then you broke into the Ministry… The last place where any of you should be right now. And then I just –“

“It’s all right, you don’t have to apologize.” I interrupted him and Bill looked at me gratefully.

“Do you know what they’re going to do now?” Fred asked suddenly and I shook my head.

“No, I don’t.” I muttered. “I simply don’t know…”


	59. Chapter 59

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

Weeks passed and there was no sign of Harry, Ron and Hermione. Slowly, we were all getting more and more worried. On the one hand, it was a good sign that no one knew where they were and what happened to them. It gave us hope that they were still free. On the other hand, it could also mean the worst.

I refused to think about all this too much. However, I wasn’t very successful all the time. Especially when I was alone, I thought about the others very much. I wanted nothing more than to be with them, but sadly it wasn’t possible. But what if something happened to them and I wasn’t there to protect them?

I shook my head and sighed. I was sitting in the living room of Remus’ house. It was early in the morning and Remus and Tonks were still asleep. Since I couldn’t sleep either way, I always went to bed late and stood up very early. I tried to be silent because I didn’t want to wake the others. Actually, I didn’t want to disturb them at all. Bill had asked many times if I didn’t want to stay at Shell Cottage with him and Fleur, but Remus had always refused to let me go. Every time I wanted to protest, Remus had shot me a pleading look. So I had stayed, even if I wasn’t sure if Tonks was very happy about it. You could see that she was pregnant now very well and her mother visited at least once a week. When she came, I had to hide upstairs. I thought it was stupid, but Remus still said that it was better if not too many people knew that I was here. Except from Arthur, Bill, Fleur, Kingsley, Fred, George and Lee Jordan no one knew that I was still alive. At least that’s what we hoped. Of course there was the possibility that Arthur had told it Molly, but that wouldn’t have been too bad. Molly would keep it secret as well.

I stood up and went to the kitchen. A look through the window told me that the winter was finally there. It was snowing. Christmas would be in less than a week.

We hadn’t been at Shell Cottage for quite some time by now. The last show of PotterWatch had been recorded at Kingsley’s house and Bill hadn’t been there. When we asked Arthur about it, he just said that Bill and Fleur wanted to spend Christmas alone. Arthur, Molly and the twins hadn’t been at Shell Cottage for some time as well.

Somehow, I had a strange feeling about this. Bill and Fleur had always been happy when members of the Order came to their house and they always told us to come whenever we wanted it. Why did that change? What was different?

I planned to ask Remus about this later. I doubted that he knew more than I did, but maybe he had an idea why Bill and Fleur wanted to be left alone. I heard noises upstairs. Apparently, Remus and Tonks were getting ready for the day. Since I didn’t know what to do, I started to prepare breakfast.

When Remus walked into the kitchen ten minutes later, he raised his eyebrows. “You’re early.” He said and when he looked at the table, a smile appeared on his lips. “And you really didn’t have to do that. You’re our guest, Sirius.”

I laughed. “And since I’ve been here for quite some time by now, I thought that I could do something useful. I can’t sleep anyway.” I shrugged and leaned against the counter. “There are too many thoughts running through my mind.”

I regretted the last two sentences immediately. Remus’ smile faded and the worried expression on his face returned. I saw it there far too often. “You should stop worrying so much.” Remus said and sat down since there was nothing for him to do anymore. “They’ll be all right.”

“And you should stop worrying about me so much.” I replied and now Remus looked at me questioningly.

I sighed. “Oh come on, Moony! Maybe you can fool the others, but you can’t do that with me! I’m your best friend. And I’ve noticed the way you look at me when you think that I don’t see it.” I paused for a few moments. “I just can’t stop thinking about them. When something would happen to Harry or Hermione… I don’t think I could stand that. I want nothing more than to return to them and if there was a possibility to do it, I would take it immediately. And I wouldn’t care about the possible risks.” I saw the sad look on Remus’ face, however I didn’t stop. “I would have given my life for them back at the Ministry. And I regret nothing. It was worth it. And I would do it again.”

Remus stared at me in silence. Then he took a deep breath. “You’re right, I’m worried about you, Pads.” He started hesitantly and it surprised me that he used my nickname. He didn’t do that very often. Yes, James had loved that name and even Lily had always called me like that. But Remus hadn’t done it many times. I never understood why. “You’re my best friend and you’re always risking your life to protect the others… You never think about how they would feel when something happened to you, right? You always say that protecting them would be worth dying for. But how would they feel? What about Harry? You’re all that is left of his family. And Hermione? You would break her heart. And I couldn’t stand it as well…” Remus closed his eyes. “There are people who need you, Sirius.” He whispered and I began to feel guilty. I had never thought about the consequences my death could have. “You can’t just leave us.”

We remained silent for a long time. Remus still wasn’t looking at me. He had his eyes closed and his fists were clenched on the table. “I’m sorry, Moony.” I whispered and Remus took a deep breath. “I truly am. I never thought of how you might feel when something happens to me… But if something would happen to you or the others… It would be terrible, I don’t know how I could stand this. I just didn’t realize that it was the same for you, with me…” I hesitated and finally, Remus opened his eyes and turned to look at me. He was very pale. “I know, I’m far too reckless and selfish and everything… I’ve always been, I think. But you have to understand how important it is to me that Harry and the others stay safe.”

Remus nodded slowly, he was still looking so serious. “You can be an idiot sometimes.” He muttered. “I hope you keep that in mind.”

I nodded. “Of course I will.” I promised and smiled slightly, though I had the feeling that it didn’t look very convincing.

Suddenly, Remus stood up and leaned on the counter right next to me. “Just promise me one thing. If there’s a chance to go back to Harry, Ron and Hermione, please be careful, Sirius. I don’t want anything to happen to you. To all of you.”

“I’ll try, Remus.” I answered slowly. It was true, I wasn’t sure if I could keep that promise. I knew that I would give my life for the others if it was necessary. But wouldn’t Remus do the same for his family?

Remus sighed. “I won’t get a better answer, will I?” He asked. I shook my head and smiled sadly.

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. I think I ask too much from you.” Remus muttered. “After all, they’re your family.”

“You would do the same to protect Tonks and your child.” I said simply.

“And to protect you.” Remus added quietly. Now I really smiled at him.

Before I could say anything else, Tonks entered the kitchen. She grinned when she saw that the table was ready for breakfast. “Good morning Sirius.” She looked from me to Remus. “I see you’ve been busy.”

Remus held up his hands. “I didn’t do anything. It was Sirius.”

Now Tonks raised her eyebrows at me and I grinned as well. “I was up early and thought that I could do something useful.”

At this, Tonks laughed. “You didn’t have to do this.”

“I wanted to.”

She sat down and smiled at us. However, she frowned when we didn’t join her. “Is everything all right?”

Remus and I exchanged a look. We would talk about this later, Remus’ eyes told me and I nodded. “Of course.” I told Tonks and together, we started to eat our breakfast.

* * *

“I was wondering why Bill and Fleur don’t want anyone to visit them at the moment.” I said and Remus looked up from the book he was reading.

“Arthur said they want to spend their first Christmas alone.”

“But don’t you think it’s a bit strange? They had always been happy when others came to visit them. Bill told me once that the loneliness at Shell Cottage was good and bad at the same time. Good because the risk that someone saw them was small and bad since they were always alone when no one came to see them. I thought they like having visitors.”

Remus shrugged. “Maybe they want some time for themselves. You know Fleur didn’t like spending Christmas together with Molly.”

Images of Molly and Fleur arguing about music and presents appeared in my mind. I nodded. “I think it’s strange either way.” I muttered and Remus raised his eyebrows.

“And what do you want to do about it? We can’t just go there and ask if something is wrong.”

I sighed. “I know, it’s better to leave them alone. Maybe I’m just getting mad… Seeing something strange in everything and so on…”

Now Remus sat up in his armchair. “No, that’s not true. Their sudden change of mind confuses me as well, but I don’t think that there’s much we can do. If they don’t want to tell us their reasons, they don’t have to do it.”

“But don’t you feel like they’re hiding something as well?” I asked and shifted on the couch uncomfortably. I had the feeling that something was wrong there.

Remus looked at me in silence for a few moments before he finally nodded. “When you say it like this… Yes, normally Bill isn’t like this. However, Fleur could have asked him to spend Christmas alone.”

I sighed. “I would like to know what’s going on.”

“You’re thinking about everything too much, Sirius.” Remus muttered and I closed my eyes.

“You keep telling me that…”

“Because it’s true.”

“I want something to happen soon…”

“I know.” Remus said simply and when I opened my eyes again, he was smiling.

I didn’t know if I could stand this waiting for something to happen much longer.


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

The days after Ron’s departure were far too long. We spent them mostly in silence, none of us was in the mood for a long conversation. I began to feel even more desperate than before – first we had lost Sirius and now Ron was gone as well. I was crying very much, also because of the things Ted Tonks had said about Sirius.  _They also said that there had been a fight afterwards. Very bloody, it didn’t end well. Seems like Sirius Black blew up a whole building. They think he’s dead, though you never can be sure. Maybe they’ve captured him, or he’s escaped._

When I mentioned those things to Harry, a pained expression had appeared on his face. “But he said that he could have escaped and that he’s alive. You know that Sirius is a good fighter, I bet he’s all right.” Harry said and I noticed the hopeful tone in which he said those things.

So the days passed and nothing happened. We changed our position every day to make sure that no one could find us. Of course Ron couldn’t find us anymore, but there was nothing we could do against this. It was too dangerous to stay in one place for too long.

After some time, Harry began to calm down again. We were still not talking about Ron, but we started to discuss possible hiding places of the sword of Gryffindor. It wasn’t easy, Dumbledore had lived a long time and there were many places where he could have hidden the sword. However, most of the things we talked about didn’t seem to fit. If he really wanted Harry to have the sword, he would have told him where he could find it, wouldn’t he? And if not that, he would have given him a clue or something like that. It was infuriating. Especially since Dumbledore never mentioned the sword to Harry. I knew he was disappointed that he got to know all those things like this, without Dumbledore telling it himself.

And then there was something else we talked about very much. And it was Sirius. Harry told me stories about his parents', Sirius' and Remus' at Hogwarts. He didn’t know too much, but the stories he told me were really good. It made me smile to think of Sirius in this way – a boy who did stupid things with his friends. Not the serious man I fell in love with. Of course he laughed very much and still did stupid things, but it was different. His life had changed him. Especially the death of Lily and James Potter. And Azkaban had changed him.

Slowly, it was getting colder and not soon after Ron left, we saw the first Christmas trees in some houses. The thought of that made me sad. I would have loved to spend Christmas with my parents or with the others. It would have been very peaceful… However, my parents didn’t even know that they had a daughter and Sirius was gone… And Ron… I tried not to think about all this too much.

When there was nothing to do for us, I read very much. I liked  _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ . Even if it was a book for children, the stories were sweet and sometimes, they could also be interesting. However, there was something that bothered me about the book. I thought that there was something that didn’t belong there…

“Hermione?” Harry asked and I looked up from the book. We were both sitting in the old armchairs and Harry was playing with the Snitch again. There was a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Hm?” I just asked and Harry cleared his throat. He hesitated, however I didn’t really notice it. I was still thinking about the book Dumbledore had given me.

“Hermione, I’ve been thinking, and –“ Harry started, but I had to talk about what was bothering me first. I had already noticed it a few days ago. Back then, I didn't think that it could be important, but now…

“Harry, could you help me with something?” I asked and now Harry looked surprised. I leaned forward and handed the book to him. He took it and frowned. “Look at that symbol.” I said and pointed at the page. It was this small symbol that had been bothering me for days now. This triangle with the circle in its middle and the line that divided it in two identical parts.

“I never took Ancient Runes, Hermione.”

“I know that, but it isn’t a rune and it’s not in the syllabary either. All along I thought it was a picture of an eye, but I don’t think it is. It’s been inked in, look, somebody’s drawn it there, it isn’t really part of the book. Think, have you ever seen it before?” I asked and Harry looked at it for a few moments.

“No… no, wait a moment.” Harry muttered and frowned. “Isn’t it the same symbol Luna’s dad was wearing round his neck?”

I nodded. “Well, that’s what I thought too!” So I had been right; we had seen this symbol before.

“Then it’s Grindelwald’s mark.” Harry said calmly and now I gasped in surprise. This couldn’t be true, could it? Grindelwald?

“ _What_?” I couldn’t ask more, my mind was racing. Who would draw the sign of one of the most dangerous wizards of all time in a book with stories for children? 

“Krum told me…” Harry began and told me about his conversation with Viktor at Bill’s and Fleur’s wedding. I still couldn’t believe it.

“ _Grindelwald’s_ mark?” I looked at the symbol again and shook my head slowly. “I’ve never heard that Grindelwald had a mark. There’s no mention of it in anything I’ve ever read about him.” I muttered and for a moment, I even considered if I could have just forgotten it. But that wasn’t possible. 

“Well, like I say, Krum reckoned that symbol was carved on a wall at Durmstrang, and Grindelwald put it there.” I leaned back in my armchair and frowned.

“That’s very odd. If it’s a symbol of Dark Magic, what’s it doing in a book of children’s stories?”

Harry shrugged. “Yeah, it is weird. And you’d think Scrimgeour would have recognized it. He was Minister, he ought to have been expert on Dark stuff.”

Suddenly, an image appeared in my mind. I was sitting next to Sirius on my bed at the burrow, the day after Scrimgeour had told us that Dumbledore left us something. He was holding the book in his hands and flicked through it slowly. I had asked him why Dumbledore could have left it to me. And then…

“Sirius said that there was something hidden in this book. And it was hidden very well.” I said slowly and now Harry’s expression changed from absent to attentive.

“He did?” He asked and I nodded. I told him about the day I had shown Sirius the book. And about the strange expression on his face when he saw a certain page. Sadly, I didn’t know which page it was anymore. I bet that it was the page with the symbol on it.

“So this means something…” Harry muttered. “If Sirius was here, we could ask him…” He fell silent and I took the book from him.

“Hermione?” Harry asked after some time. I didn’t look up from the sign in the book. Could it really be Grindelwald’s mark?

“Hm?”

“I’ve been thinking. I – I want to go to Godric’s Hollow.” Harry said hesitantly and I looked up slowly, still thinking about Grindelwald and his life. Where was the connection to that sign in the book?

“Yes. I’ve been wondering that too.” I replied and even if it was difficult, I stopped to think about the strange symbol. “I really think we’ll have to.”

Now Harry looked at me with a confused expression on his face. “Did you hear me right?” He asked.

“Of course I did. You want to go to Godric’s Hollow. I agree, I think we should. I mean, I can’t think of anywhere else it could be, either. It’ll be dangerous, that’s true. Sirius always warned us to go to places like that. But the more I think about it, the more likely it seems it’s there.” The look on Harry’s face told me that he didn’t know what I was talking about. So he had just thought about his parents…

“Er – _what’s_ there?” 

I sighed. “The sword, Harry! Dumbledore must have known you’d want to go back there, and I mean, Godric’s Hollow is Godric Gryffindor’s birthplace –“

“Really? Gryffindor came from Godric’s Hollow?” Harry asked and I rolled my eyes.

“Harry, did you ever even open _A History of Magic_?” 

“Erm…” Harry muttered and smiled. “I might’ve opened it, you know, when I bought it… Just once…” Now I couldn’t stop myself from smiling as well. It was always the same with the boys…

“Well, as the village is named after him, I’d have thought you might have made the connection. There’s a bit about the village in _A History of Magic_ , wait…” I muttered and looked into my bag. It didn’t take long to find the book and then I opened it. Finally, I found the page I’d been looking for. 

“ _Upon the signature of the International Statute of Secrecy in 1689, wizards went into hiding for good. It was natural, perhaps, that they formed their own small communities within a community. Many small villages and hamlets attracted several magical families, who banded together for mutual support and protection. The villages of Tinworth in Cornwall, Upper Flagley in Yorkshire and Ottery St Catchpole on the south coast of England were notable homes to knots of wizarding families who lived alongside tolerant and sometimes Confunded Muggles. Most celebrated of these half-magical dwelling places is, perhaps, Godric’s Hollow, the West Country village where the great wizard Godric Gryffindor was born, and where Bowman Wright, wizarding smith, forged the first Golden Snitch. The graveyard is full of the names of ancient magical families, and this accounts, no doubt, for the stories of hauntings that have dogged the little church for many centuries._ ”

I looked up from the book again. “You and your parents aren’t mentioned because Professor Bagshot doesn’t cover anything later than the end of the nineteenth century. But you see? Godric’s Hollow, Godric Gryffindor, Gryffindor’s sword; don’t you think Dumbledore would have expected you to make the connection?”

“Oh, yeah…” Harry muttered and I had the feeling that he really didn’t think of the sword when he suggested that we could go to Godric’s Hollow. Then Harry mentioned that Bathilda Bagshot was still living in Godric’s Hollow, which made me think of something new.

“What if Bathilda’s got the sword? What if Dumbledore entrusted it to her?” I asked and saw that Harry was thinking about this closely. First, he didn’t seem to be convinced, but then his face lit up and he nodded.

“Yeah, he might have done that. So, are we going to go to Godric’s Hollow?”

I nodded slowly. “Yes, but we’ll have to think it through carefully, Harry.” I said and thought about all the things Sirius told us about staying unnoticed. “We’ll need to practice disapparating together under the Invisibility Cloak, for a start, and perhaps Disillusionment Charms would be sensible too, unless you think we should go the whole hog and use Polyjuice Potion? In that case we’ll need to collect hair from somebody. I actually think we’d better do that, Harry, the thicker our disguises the better…”

And then we started to plan our trip to Godric’s Hollow. I tried to think of everything and hoped that it would end better than our last trip to the Ministry. Harry wasn’t really listening to me, but I didn’t mind. I knew he was thinking about his family, after all, he was born in Godric’s Hollow. And it was the first time he could see the village.

* * *

We arrived at Godric’s Hollow in the late afternoon, disguised as a couple of Muggles. We had seen them a few days ago while they were shopping for Christmas and somehow, I had thought that they were perfect. Not too young anymore and they looked inconspicuous.

We were still under the Invisibility Cloak when we arrived and I looked at the street in front of us. I could see Christmas decorations in the windows of the houses next to us and there was lots of snow. It was beautiful, but nevertheless…

“All this snow!” I whispered to Harry, who was still holding my hand. “Why didn’t we think of snow? After all our precautions, we’ll leave prints! We’ll just have to get rid of them – you’ll go in front, I’ll do it –“ I stopped when I realized that Harry wasn’t listening to me.

“Let’s take off the Cloak.” He said and I swallowed. “Oh, come on, we don’t look like us and there’s no one around.”

I didn’t like the idea of taking off the Invisibility Cloak and walking through the village like this, but I couldn’t stop Harry. So I just sighed silently and tried to look as normal as possible. It wasn’t easy to stop myself from looking around all the time. Next to me, Harry didn’t seem to be afraid. He looked at the village with shining eyes. In the middle of the village, there was a small square with a statue in the middle. I thought it looked like a war memorial first, however it didn’t stay like that. When we got closer, it changed into something different.

A statue of three people, to be exact. A man with untidy hair and glasses, a woman with long hair and a kind, pretty face and a baby boy sitting in his mother’s arms. I recognized them immediately. “Harry…” I whispered but he had already seen it. Slowly, we went towards the statue and looked at it silently.

Suddenly, Harry turned away from it, towards the church and the graveyard. It felt like he couldn’t stand looking at his parents for too long. I followed him and grabbed his hand.

“Harry, I think it’s Christmas Eve!” I whispered and Harry looked around.

“Is it?” He asked and I nodded, pointing towards the church. I could hear music and there were people laughing…

“I’m sure it is.” I said, still looking at the church. “They… they’ll be in there, won’t they? Your mum and dad? I can see the graveyard behind it.” I said hesitantly and Harry nodded. Somehow, it was hard to interpret his expression.

And that’s when we entered the graveyard. We walked in silence, both looking at the names on the graves. After some time, Harry let go of my hand and turned to the right while I remained on the main path. Then something caught my eye.

“Harry, here!” I called and hoped that it wasn’t too loud. Everything seemed to be loud here, even our footsteps.

Harry walked towards me and raised his eyebrows. “Is it -?” He asked and I shook my head.

“No, but look!” I pointed at the stone in front of me which had two names on it. _Kendra Dumbledore and her daughter Ariana_. There was a quote under the names. 

_Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also._

Harry looked at the grave silently and I could see many emotions on his face. Somehow, I had the feeling that he didn’t know about this. That Dumbledore had lived in Godric’s Hollow as well.

“Are you sure he never mentioned –“ I began hesitantly and Harry shook his head.

“No. Let’s keep looking.” And with those words, he turned away and I stood in front of the grave alone. With a sigh, I looked at the next graves. Where the next surprise was waiting for me.

“Here!” I called and Harry turned to me again. In the meantime, I knelt down in front of the gravestone. “Oh, no, sorry! I thought it said Potter…” I muttered when I saw the name on the stone. However, something else caught my attention. Harry had already turned around again. “Harry, come back a moment.” He didn’t look happy, but he came back to me either way.

“What?” He asked, sounding annoyed.

“Look at this!” I said and began to feel excited. This was it, the same symbol as in the book Dumbledore had given to me! On a graveyard in Godric’s Hollow, I couldn’t believe it!

“Harry, that’s the mark in the book!” I said and his expression told me that Harry had recognized it as well.

“Yeah… it could be…” He muttered and I would have liked to roll my eyes at his. But this didn’t seem the right place, so I just took my wand and pointed at the name on the grave.

“It says Ig – Ignotus, I think…” I muttered.

“I’m going to keep looking for my parents, all right?” Harry asked and left again. I didn’t pay much attention to it. Ignotus Peverell. I wondered who he’d been…I looked at the stone for a few more minutes, before I stood up again. I would have to find out who this man was later.

I began to walk again and after some time, I saw it. And this time, I knew that I was right. “Harry, they’re here… right here.” I said and this time, Harry didn’t look annoyed when he came to me. Maybe it had been the tone of my voice, or the expression on my face. I wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter.

_James Potter, born 27 March 1960, died 31 October 1981_

_Lily Potter, born 30 January 1960, died 31 October 1981_

_The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death._

We didn’t stay at the grave too long. However, I couldn’t stop myself from taking my wand and letting a wreath of roses appear. Harry laid it on his parents’ grave and looked at me gratefully. Then we left the graveyard without looking back.

I had the strange feeling that someone was watching us. However, I couldn’t see anyone when I looked around. I swallowed. “Harry…” I whispered and he took my hand. “I think someone’s watching us…”

He shook his head. “We look like Muggles. I bet it was just a cat.”

Muggles who just laid flowers on the grave of your parents… I thought, however I didn’t say it aloud. I just hoped Harry was right about the cat. We put on the Invisibility Cloak again.

We walked through the village for some time and I wondered how we should find the house of Bathilda Bagshot. Godric’s Hollow wasn’t that small… “How are we going to find Bathilda’s house?” I asked and Harry didn’t answer me. “Harry? What do you think? Harry?”

I knew he wasn’t paying attention to me. He was looking at something in front of us.

“Look… look at it, Hermione…” I followed his gaze.

“I don’t… oh!” That’s when I saw it too. The house was still standing, even if it didn’t look too good anymore. The right side of the top floor had been blown apart; I knew that the killing curse had failed there. “I wonder why nobody’s ever rebuilt it?” I whispered.

“Maybe you can’t rebuild it? Maybe it’s like the injuries from Dark Magic and you can’t repair the damages?” Harry replied and touched the gate slowly.

“You’re not going to go inside? It looks unsafe, it might - oh, Harry, look!” When Harry had touched the gate, a sign had risen out of the ground in front of us. I stared at it for a few moments, before I read the words upon it. It made me speechless. Even if it was just a short summary of what had happened here so many years ago, it made me swallow. Next to me, Harry inhaled sharply. And then I noticed something else. All around the words in the middle, others had added comments to this. And they were directed to Harry. I couldn’t believe it, on a place like this, how could they…

“They shouldn’t have written on the sign!” I whispered and when I turned to Harry, I saw him smiling widely.

“It’s brilliant, I’m glad they did. I…” He broke off and looked at the street behind me. I turned around as well.

Someone was walking down the street. It took me some time to realize that it was a woman. When she got closer, I noticed that she was looking directly at us.


	61. Chapter 61

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

We stared at the woman in front of us, both frozen in shock. It was obvious that she knew we were there. However, I couldn’t explain why. I started to shiver and moved closer to Harry, who also looked at the woman in silence.

“How does she know?” I whispered, but Harry just shook his head. He didn’t know the answer to that question as well. The woman stood very close to us and I wanted to take a few steps back. Harry didn’t move and I knew he wouldn’t do it, even if I asked him to. So I looked at the person in front of us as well. She was very old and under her clothes it was difficult to see her. The only thing I saw perfectly well were her eyes and somehow, the look in them disturbed me. Again, I wished that Sirius was here.

Who was this woman? And why did she know that we would come here today? Or wasn’t it planned and she just saw us on the graveyard? I looked at Harry again and hoped that we could turn around and leave now. However, he didn’t seem to have that in mind. He looked at the woman with a thoughtful expression on his face. I had a feeling that he knew who the woman was…

“Are you Bathilda?” Harry asked and I winced. Why couldn’t he just turn around and leave?

To my surprise, the woman in front of us nodded. I swallowed. This should be Bathilda Bagshot? It could be her… As far as I knew, Bathilda was very old. And it would also explain why she knew that we were here… Had she been looking for us?

I exchanged a look with Harry, who raised his eyebrows. I nodded nervously. Following her was our only possibility, wasn’t it?

We stepped forward and without hesitation, Bathilda turned around and began to walk into the direction where she had come from. We followed her slowly towards a small house. It didn’t look very good anymore and I wondered if Bathilda lived alone or if there was someone who looked after her from time to time… As soon as Bathilda opened the door of her house, I doubted that there was someone looking after her.

It smelled bad and I wasn’t sure if it was just the house or Bathilda as well. Next to me, Harry wrinkled his nose. I swallowed. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to follow her… When we entered the house, Harry pulled off the Cloak. I wished he wouldn’t have done that, but it was better if Bathilda saw us…

I looked around slowly. There was dust everywhere and I wondered how someone could even live in a house like this. And then there was the smell again; a mixture of old age, unwashed clothes, stale food and dust. And something else I couldn’t identify yet…

Bathilda took off her scarf slowly and now I could see her white hair. “Bathilda?” Harry asked again and the woman in front of us nodded. Why didn’t she speak? I began to shiver again. Something was wrong in here…

Bathilda turned around and began to walk along the corridor. While doing that, she pushed me aside as if she didn’t even notice that I was there. I looked at Harry nervously, but he just shrugged. My heart was beating fast in my chest.

“Harry, I’m not sure about this.” I whispered.

“Look at the size of her; I think we could overpower her if we had to.” Harry said and looked at me again. “Listen, I should have told you, I knew she wasn’t all there. Muriel called her ‘gaga’.” I frowned at his and just wanted to reply something when there was a strange noise in the room Bathilda had just entered. I winced and grabbed Harry’s arm.

“It’s fine.” Harry said reassuringly and began to walk into the direction of the noise. Why did he say that it was fine? Didn’t he hear that sound… I followed him and tried to control my hands that were shaking. I made sure that I could get my wand if I needed it.

Bathilda was lighting candles when we entered the room, but it was still very dark. In here, the smell was even worse than in the rest of the house. It reminded me of rotten meat… I looked around. Maybe I could see what caused this smell… However, there was nothing. Next to me, Harry helped Bathilda with the candles. The old woman looked at me and pointed at the fireplace. It took me a few seconds to realize that she wanted me to make a fire. I nodded nervously and took my wand out of my pocket.

“Mrs – Miss – Bagshot?” Harry asked from the other end of the room and I stood up. He was looking at something lying on one of the cupboards. It was a book. I took a step closer to read the title. _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_. 

“Miss Bagshot?” Harry asked again and took a picture from the cupboard. He showed it to Bathilda. “Who is this person?” Bathilda just looked at the picture silently. “Do you know who this is?” Harry asked, this time louder. “This man? Do you know him? What’s he called?” I looked at the picture as well. Why was it so important to Harry? The picture showed a young man who was smiling.

“Harry, what are you doing?” I asked when Harry repeated his question again.

“This picture, Hermione, it’s the thief, the thief who stole from Gregorovitch! Please!” Harry turned to Bathilda again. “Who is this?” However, the woman didn’t answer.

“Why did you ask us to come with you, Mrs – Miss – Bagshot?” I asked and looked at the woman as well. I didn’t like this situation… “Was there something you wanted to tell us?” Slowly, I started to regret coming to Godric’s Hollow.

I had the feeling that Bathilda didn’t hear my question. She took a few steps closer to Harry and made a gesture towards the hall.

“You want us to leave?” Harry asked and now Bathilda pointed at Harry and then at the ceiling. I didn’t like this…

“Oh, right… Hermione, I think she wants me to go upstairs with her.” Harry said and I nodded hesitantly.

“All right, let’s go.” I muttered, but when I started to move as well, Bathilda shook her head. She pointed at Harry and herself. I felt like I had just been hit. She didn’t want me to go with them, but why…

“She wants me to go with her, alone.” Harry said and I sighed. I had already understood this.

“Why?” I asked and Harry shrugged.

“Maybe Dumbledore told her to give the sword to me, and only to me?” Harry suggested and I would have liked to protest. That wouldn’t make any sense…

“Do you really think she knows who you are?” I asked with a look to Bathilda.

“Yes, I think she does.” Harry replied and looked at the woman again.

I hesitated and Harry tried to smile reassuringly. “I don’t like this… But ok… But be quick, Harry.” I murmured and Harry turned to Bathilda again.

“Lead the way.” He told her and together, they vanished on the stairs.

I stood in the room alone now. I was shivering and my heart was beating fast in my chest. I had a feeling that something terrible was going to happen. Slowly, I turned around again and walked to the cupboard with the pictures and the book. I noticed that there was a piece of paper sticking out of the top of the book. I took the paper and unfolded it. ‘ _Dear Batty, Thanks for your help. Here’s a copy of the book, hope you like it. You said everything, even if you don’t remember it. Rita_ ’ 

I frowned and looked at the note for a few more seconds. So Rita Skeeter had been here and had talked to Bathilda. But it sounded like she didn’t remember anything from her life… So why did she recognize Harry? And how did Rita get all the information for the book? Without thinking about it anymore, I took the book and put it into my bag. I didn’t know why I did it. Maybe because Bathilda wouldn’t read it anyway? Or because it could contain the answer to Harry’s question about the thief?

I looked at the other pictures for a few more moments. The picture of the thief was gone. Somehow, I had the feeling that Harry took it. I recognized a few people on the other pictures, but not all of them. There was Dumbledore and his friend, Elphias Doge. And there was another picture of a couple who were holding hands. They smiled happily and I realized that the woman was pregnant… I just wanted to take the picture when I heard loud noises upstairs. And then there was a scream. I knew that it was Harry immediately. I forgot about the picture and turned around to run to the stairs. My wand was already in my hand.

“He’s coming! _Hermione, he’s coming!_ ” I heard Harry shout and my heart began to race even faster. He couldn’t mean Voldemort, could he…? 

As soon as I was upstairs, I stopped. The room in front of me was completely destroyed and it looked like there had been a fight. And then I saw the snake. First, I was frozen in shock. Suddenly, someone pulled me across the room and towards the bed. I realized that it was Harry. He jumped over the bed and pulled me with him. However, I stumbled and gasped in pain. I fell to the ground, right behind the bed. My heart was racing. Next to me, Harry touched his scar with a pained expression on his face. I heard the snake hiss behind us and before I really knew what was happening, Harry already pulled me towards the door again. The snake was right behind us.

“ _Confringo!_ ” I screamed and my spell hit the other end of the room, where the wardrobe mirror exploded. The explosion let us fall to the floor and I heard the snake make another hissing noise. We stood up quickly and began to run through the room again. However, the way to the stairs was blocked. I couldn’t see the snake anymore, but that didn’t mean anything. She could be everywhere. Then I saw something lying on the ground in front of me. I picked it up quickly. Harry changed the direction and when I looked up again, I realized what he wanted to do. I screamed, but it was too late. We were already jumping out of the window. I squeezed Harry’s hand as hard as possible and disapparated. 

* * *

I didn’t know how much time passed since we escaped from Godric’s Hollow. All I remembered afterwards was that I disapparated to the first place that came into my mind. Harry had been injured and the first thing I did was to take care of him. However, it wasn’t easy since he was still wearing the Horcrux… And he was shouting and moaning… I placed the protective charms around us as soon as possible and hoped that no one had noticed us.

After I had done everything that I could for Harry, I took the tent out of the bag and once it was standing, I used my wand to take Harry inside. Then I sat down next to him and tried to calm down. My hands were still shaking and my heart was beating fast in my chest. Going to Godric’s Hollow had been a terrible idea… When I changed my clothes I took the book I had found in Bathilda’s house and began to look through it. 

After some time, Harry’s screams next to me got louder again. I put the book back into my pocket. “Harry, it’s all right, wake up!” I said loudly and touched Harry’s arm carefully. “You have to wake up!”

Harry murmured something and this time, I thought that I could understand the words. “No… I dropped it… I dropped it…” He muttered and I sighed.

“Harry, you’re all right! Everything’s all right!” I said and suddenly, Harry opened his eyes. I breathed in deeply and felt relieved. He was going to be fine.

“Harry, do you feel all right?” I whispered and Harry swallowed.

“Yes.” He muttered and it was obvious that he was lying. He looked around for a few moments. “We got away.”

“Yes. I had to use a Hover Charm to get you into your bunk, I couldn’t lift you. You’ve been… well, you haven’t been quite…” I hesitated and Harry looked at me again. “You’ve been ill. Quite ill.” I finished.

“How long ago did we leave?”

“Hours ago. It’s nearly morning.”

“And I’ve been… what, unconscious?” Harry asked and I nodded.

“Not exactly. You’ve been shouting and moaning and… things.” I said hesitantly and Harry looked away. “I couldn’t get the Horcrux off you. It was stuck, stuck to your chest. You’ve got a mark; I’m sorry, I had to use a Severing Charm to get it away. The snake bit you, too, but I’ve cleaned the wound and put some dittany on it…”

Harry pulled the t-shirt he was wearing away from himself and looked down. I looked away uncomfortably. This was all my fault… We shouldn’t have entered the house at all…

“Where have you put the Horcrux?” Harry asked.

“In my bag. I think we should keep it off for a while.” I muttered and Harry leaned back. He closed his eyes.

“We shouldn’t have gone to Godric’s Hollow. It’s my fault, it’s all my fault. Hermione, I’m sorry.” He whispered and opened his eyes to look at me again. There was a sad expression on his face.

“It’s not your fault. I wanted to go too; I really thought Dumbledore might have left the sword there for you.” I said immediately.

“Yeah, well… we got that wrong, didn’t we?” Harry asked and I nodded. And then I asked the question I had been thinking about for the past hours.

“What happened, Harry? What happened when she took you upstairs? Was the snake hiding somewhere? Did it just come out and kill her and attack you?”

“No. _She_ was the snake… or the snake was her… all along.” 

“W – what?” I asked and looked at Harry wide-eyed. Harry closed his eyes.

“Bathilda must’ve been dead a while. The snake was… was inside her. You-Know-Who put it there in Godric’s Hollow, to wait. You were right. He knew I’d go back.”

“The snake was _inside_ her?” I asked nervously and Harry nodded again. I swallowed. That would explain why she didn’t talk to me and why there were those strange noises… 

“Lupin said there would be magic we never imagined.” Harry said. “She didn’t want to talk in front of you, because it was Parseltongue, all Parseltongue and I didn’t realize, but of course, I could understand her. Once we were up in the room, the snake sent a message to You-Know-Who, I heard it happen inside my head, I felt him get excited, he said to keep me there… and then…” Harry broke off and closed his eyes again. “She changed into the snake and attacked.” Harry looked down on the marks where the snake had bitten him again.

“It wasn’t supposed to kill me, just keep me there until You-Know-Who came.”

Suddenly, I felt sick. Now I started to realize how close we were to getting killed…

Harry tried to stand up slowly. “Harry, no, I’m sure you ought to rest!” I said immediately, but Harry shook his head.

“You’re the one who needs sleep. No offense, but you look terrible. I’m fine. I’ll keep watch for a while. Where’s my wand?” Now that he said it, I was feeling tired. I didn’t realize it until now.

“Oh, I nearly forgot that, I’m sorry!” I said and stood up. I had thrown the jacket I had been wearing on a chair next to the table. Harry’s wand was still in one of its pockets. He had lost it during our fight with the snake. I gave it to him and Harry looked relieved.

“Thank you, I already thought I’d lost it.”

“You nearly did. I was just able to pick it up before you jumped out of that window.” I replied and Harry’s lips twitched.

“Thank you. And now you have to get some sleep.” Harry said before he turned around to leave the tent.


	62. Chapter 62

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Harry

The days after our trip to Godric’s Hollow passed rather quickly. We had been so close to death, I was still surprised that we had been able to escape. Thanks to Hermione. She had been incredible that night and I told her many times, however she didn’t seem to believe me. Every time I said it, she just shrugged. And I knew why. After all, it had been my idea which had brought us in that situation. It had been my fault that we nearly were caught by Voldemort. I was still feeling guilty because of that…

However, there was something else on my mind as well. And that was a certain book Hermione had found in Bathilda’s house.  _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore._ There were many disturbing news in that book about Dumbledore and his life. Hermione told me not to believe those things (‘It’s written by Rita Skeeter, Harry, and you know that the woman is a liar and nothing else!’), but I couldn’t stop myself from thinking about it either way. Did I really know Dumbledore or did I just believe it? He had never told me about his past. His family and their history in Godric’s Hollow, his friendship with Grindelwald… 

The thief. Grindelwald. This was also something I couldn’t understand. Hermione couldn’t see a connection as well and it was driving me crazy. Why was Voldemort searching for Grindelwald? What had he stolen from Gregorovitch so many years ago? It had been important, at least to Voldemort. That was obvious. But nevertheless…

I shook my head. I was sitting in front of the tent. It was cold and dark. In the past days, we had changed our position very often. Both Hermione and I had the feeling that there was someone out there, looking for us… Now we were in the Forest of Dean. Hermione had been here with her parents once and we hoped that no one would look for us here...

In the past days, Hermione had been very nervous. The events at Godric’s Hollow scared her more than she wanted to admit it. And she was still missing Sirius – I was worried about him as well – and then Ron had left… I thought it had been too much for her. She had started to cry again, even if she tried to hide it as good as possible. And now we had the feeling that someone was close to finding us… It wasn’t an easy situation at the moment. I had to admit that too.

Slowly, I was getting tired. It was very dark now and I thought about getting a blanket since I started to freeze. Suddenly, something caught my attention.

A bright silver light appeared right in front of me. It was moving through the trees. I was frozen in shock and grabbed my wand which had been lying on the ground next to me. Again, I was glad that Hermione had been able to get it back at Godric’s Hollow. Without my wand, I would have felt helpless.

Slowly, the light moved towards me and I stood up. I raised my wand and wanted to call Hermione. I didn’t know why I remained silent. When the light got closer, I noticed something else. It wasn’t just a ball of light like I had thought at first. No, it was a silver-white doe walking towards me. She was shining in the darkness and I thought that she looked beautiful. Somehow, she reminded me of a Patronus… And then I realized that it was true. It  _was_ a Patronus. But who…? 

It was a strange feeling when the doe stopped and looked at me. I had the feeling that I knew her for a long time by now. And that I had been expecting her to come. Suddenly, I didn’t want to tell Hermione to come anymore. I knew that the doe would vanish then.

We looked at each other in silence for a long time. And then the doe turned around and started to walk into the forest. “No, come back!” I said and took a step towards her. However, she just kept walking into the forest without looking back. That’s when I made a decision.

With one last look at the tent, I turned around to follow the doe. It was very cold now and I didn’t like the sound of the snow beneath my feet. I remembered the sounds we had heart the previous nights… But I couldn’t think about that too much now. I had to concentrate on following the doe which wasn’t as easy as I thought in the darkness.

I didn’t know how long I had been following her, but suddenly the doe stopped. She turned around to look at me once more and I began to run faster. I wanted to ask her why she was here. When I got closer, she vanished. The light which had come from her vanished as well and now I was standing here, alone in the dark. My heart was racing. What if it had been a trap? Who had sent her? I grabbed my wand and tried to push away my fear. “ _Lumos_ !” I whispered and breathed in deeply when I could see my surroundings again. I wished that I wouldn’t have followed her. However, in that moment I had thought that it was necessary… 

I looked around slowly. Why had she led me here? There had to be a reason for this… Or had it been a trap? I tried to see if there was someone watching me, but I couldn’t make out anyone. It seemed as if I was alone.

Something gleamed in the light of my wand and I turned around quickly. It was a small, frozen pool which glittered in the light of my wand. Carefully, I moved towards it. First, I thought that there was nothing. But then I saw that something else glinted below the ice. It was a silver cross…

My heart skipped a beat and I knelt down, trying to look into the pool as good as possible. There was something red on the ground of the pool as well… And suddenly, I knew what it was. The sword of Gryffindor! But how was this possible? Who would put the sword in there, so close to the place where we were camping? There had to be someone who knew that we were here…

I stopped to think about it. Probably, I would never know the answer to my questions. Instead, I pointed at the sword with my wand. “ _Accio sword_ .” I had already expected that nothing would happen. It would have been far too easy. I walked around the pool slowly and looked around again. No one seemed to be there. 

_Only a true Gryffindor could have pulled that out of the Hat._ Dumbledore had told me once about the sword. I breathed in deeply. I didn’t like the thought that came to my mind next. If I could get the sword without having to jump into that pool… I knew that it wouldn’t work. 

I sighed and started to take off my clothes. Then I pointed at the ice with my wand. “ _Diffindo_ !” 

The sound of the cracking ice was far too loud in the silence. I winced and took a step back. I hoped that the pool wouldn’t be too deep. It didn’t look like it, but I wasn’t sure either way. I walked towards the pool again and placed my wand on the ground so that I would have some light down there. And then I jumped into the pool.

* * *

I was lying on the ground, coughing. The plan had seemed good to me. And it would have worked, if I wouldn’t have been wearing the locket. It had nearly strangled me when I got closer to the sword. I was shivering and carefully, I touched my throat where the locket had been. It had cut deeply into my skin. My hands were still shaking and slowly, I looked up at the person who saved me. And I couldn’t believe it.

“Are – you – _mental_?” The voice which spoke to me now was the last one I had expected. At the sound of it, I found the strength to stand up again. And there he was. 

Rom stood right in front of me. He was fully dressed, but completely wet as well. In his hands he held the sword of Gryffindor and the Horcrux. “Why the hell didn’t you take this thing off before you dived?” He asked and looked at the locket blankly.

I couldn’t answer him. I was still too shocked to see him here after everything that had happened in the past weeks. I thought that he was going to vanish as soon as I would move, but when I did nothing happened. Ron was here, he had jumped into the pool and he had saved my life.

“It was y – you?” I asked, still shivering. I had to put on my clothes again.

“Well, yeah.” Ron said, even if he looked confused.

“Y – you cast that doe?”

“What? No, of course not! I thought it was you doing it!” Ron protested while I started to put on my clothes again.

“My Patronus is a stag.” I said slowly and Ron looked at his feet.

“Oh yeah. I thought it looked different. No antlers.”

When I was completely dressed, I picked up my wand. “How come you’re here?” It was the last question I wanted to ask right now, but after everything that happened I wanted to know the answer to this. Before he left, Ron had made no secret of what he thought about all this…

“Well, I’ve – you know – I’ve come back. If –“ Ron started hesitantly and cleared his throat. “If you still want me.”

We looked at each other in silence for some time. To be honest, I had missed him very much. He was my best friend. However, all the things he had said… But he was here now. And he had just saved my life.

I looked at Ron’s hands again and Ron followed my gaze. He seemed surprised to see the things he was holding. “Oh yeah, I got it out. That’s why you jumped in, right?”

I nodded. “But I don’t understand. How did you get here? How did you find us?”

“Long story.” Ron said. “I’ve been looking for you for hours, it’s a big forest, isn’t it? And I was just thinking I’d have to kip under a tree and wait for morning when I saw that deer coming, and you following.”

“You didn’t see anyone else?”

“No, I –“ Ron began, but then he hesitated again and looked at a few trees close to the pool. “I did think I saw something move over there, but I was running to the pool at the time, because you’d gone in and you hadn’t come up, so I wasn’t going to make a detour to –“ I didn’t listen to him anymore. I was already running towards the trees. They were standing very close together and it was the perfect place to watch the pool. I couldn’t see any footprints, but that didn’t have to mean anything. With a sigh, I walked back to Ron who was still holding the Horcrux and the sword.

“Anything there?” He asked and I shook my head.

“No.”

“So how did the sword get in that pool?”

“Whoever cast the Patronus must have put it there.” I said and we both looked at the sword. “I would like to know who did it…” I muttered and Ron nodded.

“You reckon this is the real one?” He asked.

“One way to find out, isn’t there?” I said and Ron swallowed. I knew this was the right moment to destroy it. The locket had already caused enough trouble.

“Come here.” I said and walked towards a few rocks lying on the ground. I held out a hand and Ron handed me the locket. Ron wanted to give the sword to me as well, but I shook my head.

“No, you should do it.”

“Me?” Ron asked, his voice shocked. “Why?”

“Because you got the sword out of the pool. I think it’s supposed to be you.” And I knew that I was right.

“I’m going to open it and you stab it. Straight away, all right? Because whatever is in there will put up a fight. The bit of Riddle in the diary tried to kill me.”

“How are you going to open it?” Ron asked, looking terrified.

“I’m going to ask it to open, using Parseltongue.” The answer came to my mind very quickly. I had the feeling that I always knew this, but our meeting with Nagini made me realize it. I looked at the locket for a few moments and just wanted to open my mouth, when Ron stopped me.

“No, don’t open it! I’m serious!” He said.

“Why not? Let’s get rid of the damn thing, it’s been months –“

“I can’t, Harry, I’m serious. You should do it –“

“But why?”

“Because the thing’s bad for me!” Ron said loudly and took a step back, away from the locket. “I can’t handle it! I’m not making excuses, Harry, for what I was lie, but it affects me worse than it affected you and Hermione, it made me think stuff, stuff I was thinking anyway, but it made everything worse, I can’t explain it, and then I’d take it off and I’d get my head on straight again, and then I’d have to put the effing thing back on – I can’t do it, Harry!” I could hear the panic in Ron’s voice, however I ignored his protests. He had to do this.

“You can do it! You’ve just got the sword, I know it’s supposed to be you who uses it. Please, just get rid of it, Ron.” When I said his name, Ron looked at me again. He swallowed and seemed to calm down. However, he was still very pale.

“Tell me when.” He muttered and I nodded.

“On three.” I said and looked at the locket again. I couldn’t explain how much I hated this thing… My throat was still burning.

“One… two… three… _open_.” 

* * *

Sirius  


“I don’t understand.” I said slowly. “You mean…” I stopped again and looked at Bill with a frown on my face. Next to me, Remus had grabbed my arm. His body was tensed and he looked from me to Bill nervously.

“Ron had been here. For many weeks. He stayed with us at Shell Cottage over Christmas. Yesterday, he just vanished without saying goodbye. We don’t know where he is now. I think he found a way to get back to Harry and Hermione.” Bill said slowly. We stood in the living room of Remus’ house. Tonks and Fleur were watching us anxiously.

My heart was racing and slowly, I realized what this meant. Ron had been at Shell Cottage. So he had left Harry and Hermione. Freely! He had left them and who knew in what danger they had been ever since… And now he was gone again and I was still here… I growled and Bill swallowed. He looked nervous and he had every right to be. I would like to punch him right now… They should have told me that he had been here!

Remus tightened his grip around my arm and when I looked at him, he shook his head. He knew what was going on in my mind right now.

“I’m sorry, Sirius. But we had to promise him that we wouldn’t tell anyone that he was there. He was really upset… He regretted leaving, that was obvious! And he wanted nothing more than to go back. I know we should have told you… Then you could have gone back together…” Bill sighed. “I’m sorry.”

I stared at him in silence for a few moments. “Yes, you should have told me that he was there.” My voice was as cold as ice. Bill winced and Remus opened his mouth to calm me down. I looked at him warningly and he closed it again.

He regretted it! I couldn’t believe this. Why did he leave then? And what happened to Harry and Hermione when they were alone? Next to my anger, I started to feel afraid as well. My hands were shaking now and it felt like my heard had been ripped out of my chest. I was still growling at Bill.

And then I started shouting at him.


	63. Chapter 63

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

Somehow, I couldn’t sleep. Even if Harry was outside and kept watch, I felt uncomfortable. I didn’t understand why, but I had the feeling that something was going to happen… With a sigh, I stood up and walked to one of the armchairs. My copy of  _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ was still lying on the table, but I ignored it. It was far too late to think of that symbol again. Instead, I focused on the object lying next to it. Of course not  _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_ , after everything I’ve read that book made me feel sick. And I knew that it was even worse for Harry… 

No, the object I took now was a picture. A beautiful one, at least for me. In that picture, Harry, Sirius and I were sitting on the couch at the Burrow. Sirius was sitting in the middle and he had one arm wrapped around me. The other one rested on Harry’s shoulder. We were all smiling happily. Remus had taken the picture, it had been at Christmas last year. It felt like that day had been ages ago. Things hadn’t been so complicated back then.

I closed my eyes for a few moments and tried to remember as much as possible of that day. Fleur and Mrs. Weasley had been arguing about the music and Fred and George set the Christmas tree on fire… Luckily, Sirius had reacted so fast. Mr. Weasley had been furious and Fleur and Mrs. Weasley even forgot to argue because of this. It had been a nice day, without too many things we had to worry about… I missed it.

I opened my eyes and looked at the picture again. Sirius was looking so happy… And now we didn’t even know if he was still alive. I breathed in deeply and tried to hold back the tears. The pain in my chest was back and I wondered why it had been gone. It was a constant feeling by now…

“Hermione!” I heard Harry’s voice outside the tent and stood up immediately. There was a strange tone in his voice… Did he sound excited? I put the picture back on the table, grabbed my wand and made my way outside. And why did it sound as if Harry was walking towards the tent and not sitting in front of it?

“What’s wrong? Harry? Are you all right?” I asked anxiously and froze once I had left the tent.

Harry looked terrible. His hair was wet and he was paler than usual. However, there was a wide grin on his face. “It’s ok, everything’s fine. More than fine. I’m great. There’s someone here.”

I frowned at him and crossed my arms. What happened to him? “What do you mean? Who -?” I didn’t have to finish the question; I already saw him standing behind Harry. He was wet as well, but not just his hair, his clothes were wet too. And he was holding the sword of Gryffindor in one hand. And the locket in the other one, but it looked different. It was open and  _broken_ . 

I looked to Harry, who was still smiling. He went into the tent and I saw a rucksack on his shoulders.  _Ron’s_ rucksack. I turned to him again and slowly closed the distance between us. My mind was racing. Why was he here? And how did he get the sword? And why on earth was he so _wet_ ? 

When I got closer, Ron smiled weakly. I just watched him wide-eyed. There was a mixture of hope and fear in his eyes. I just shook my head – and slapped him.

“Ouch, Hermione!” Ron said loudly. “What was that for?”

“As if you wouldn’t know that!” I spat and slapped him again. “You were gone for weeks! You just left us, after everything you said! Maybe you should have thought about this before you came back?” I was furious and Ron seemed to notice that. He took a few steps back quickly, creating a distance between us. “Why did you even come back? How did you find us?” I looked at Ron with narrowed eyes, however I didn’t follow him again. I breathed in deeply and tried to calm myself down.

“Hermione, calm down!” Harry, who was standing behind me now, said and I turned to him slowly.

I sighed and glared at Ron. “All right.” I muttered. “But it would be better for the two of you if you explain everything.  _Now_ .” 

At this, they walked into the tent quickly. Ron was still looking at me with an insecure expression on his face and I knew that he expected me to hit him again. However, I didn’t want to do that again.

We all sat down on the table and I saw that Ron was feeling uncomfortable in his wet clothes. I started to feel guilty about this and raised my wand. The alarmed look on Ron’s face and the way Harry jumped to his feet, trying to get out his wand as well, were nearly amusing. I muttered a spell and Ron’s clothes dried immediately. Then I put down my wand on the table. Ron sighed in relief and Harry sat down slowly, an embarrassed look on his face.

“Thank you.” Ron whispered and smiled.

My lips twitched as well. “I’m still angry at you, don’t forget that.”

Ron nodded and touched his cheek. It was red where I had hit him and I didn’t doubt that he was in pain. “Would be difficult to forget…” Ron muttered and I looked at Harry.

“What happened?” I asked and Harry told me everything that happened tonight. The appearance of the doe, the sword in the pool, Ron’s appearance and how they had destroyed the locket with the sword. I couldn’t believe it.

“So you saw the Patronus and just followed it?” I asked and my voice sounded shocked. “Harry, do you know how dangerous that was?”

He nodded hesitantly. “I know it was stupid. But it felt right to follow her as well… It’s difficult to describe. It was like I had been waiting for her. And as you see, nothing happened. To be honest, it was good to follow the doe. Now we have the sword and we destroyed the locket.” He looked at Ron and I knew what he wanted to say.  _And Ron is back._

I turned to Ron as well. While Harry had told the story, he had been very silent. He had just added a few things, but even then he sounded insecure. “And you couldn’t see who cast the Patronus?” I asked and he shook his head.

“I didn’t get a chance. Harry jumped into that pool and he stayed down there far too long…” Ron shrugged. “What would you have done?”

I sighed and looked at Harry again. “It was stupid of you to do all this. Especially to jump into that pool without taking off the locket.” I looked at his throat and swallowed. There was a deep cut in his flesh where the locket had been… “I’ll have to look at that soon.” I said and Harry nodded.

“Thank you, Hermione.” I managed to smile at him before I turned to Ron. My expression became serious immediately.

“How did you find us?” I demanded and Ron looked at me in silence for a few seconds, trying to understand my question.

“What do you mean?”

“You found us, tonight. I want to know how you did it. If you could do it, I’m sure that others will be able to find us as well. And we can’t risk being found again.” I said in a cold voice. Yes, I was still angry at Ron.

“It’s a long story…” Ron muttered. “First I want to say that I’m sorry. I didn’t want to leave you… On that evening, I was just so angry and then I had to wear the locket as well… It made me think many bad things… I didn’t mean to hurt you two.” Ron said and looked from me to Harry. “I’m really sorry. And I regretted leaving once I disapparated! I wanted to come back immediately, but I walked straight into a gang of Snatchers. I couldn’t go anywhere then.”

“A gang of what?” Harry asked and I raised my eyebrows as well.

“Snatchers.” Ron said. “They’re everywhere, gangs trying to earn gold by rounding up Muggleborns and blood traitors, there’s a reward from the Ministry for everyone captured. I was on my own and I look like I might be school age, they got really excited, thought I was a Muggleborn in hiding. I had to talk fast to get out of being dragged to the Ministry.”

“What did you say to them?”

“Told them I was Stan Shunpike. First person I could think of.” Ron said and shrugged.

“And they believed that?” Harry asked.

“They weren’t the brightest. One of them was definitely part troll, the smell of him…” Ron looked from Harry to me again. I just looked at him in silence. I didn’t know why this had anything to do with how he found us… However, I had to admit that I wanted to know what happened to Ron in the past weeks as well… Maybe he had news of the others. News of Sirius…

“Anyway, they had a row about whether I was Stan or not. It was a bit pathetic to be honest, but there were still five of them and only one of me and they’d taken my wand. Then two of them got into a fight and while the others were distracted, I managed to hit the one holding me in the stomach, grabbed his wand, disarmed the bloke holding mine and disapparated. I didn’t do it so well, Splinched myself again.” Ron held up his right hand. Two fingernails were missing and I crossed my arms. “And I came out miles from where you were. By the time I got back to that bit of riverbank where we’d been… you’d gone.”

“Sounds really bad, doesn’t it, Harry?” I said slowly and Harry just looked at us in silence. “You must have been simply terrified, Ron. Meanwhile, we went to Godric’s Hollow and, let’s think, what happened there, Harry? Oh yes, You-Know-Who’s snake turned up, it nearly killed both of us and then You-Know-Who himself arrived and missed us by about a second.”

“ _What_?” Ron said and looked at us wide-eyed. Harry nodded silently and I sighed again.

“It’s a long story.” I said finally and began to tell Ron everything that happened while he was gone. When we told him about our trip to Godric’s Hollow, Ron turned very pale.

“Why did you even follow her into that house? You could have been killed!” Ron said in a loud voice and Harry sighed.

“It was my fault. I really thought it was necessary and that she had the sword for us. I realized that it was a trap far too late…”

“But you escaped.” Ron muttered.

Harry nodded. “Thanks to Hermione.”

Now Ron looked at me again and shook his head. “You’re amazing, Hermione. Do you know that?”

I rolled my eyes, however I had to smile. “Thank you very much, Ronald.” I said politely. “And what happened after you escaped from the Snatchers and couldn’t find us?”

Ron hesitated. “I went to Shell Cottage, to Bill and Fleur.” This surprised me.

“You didn’t go home?”

Ron groaned. “Do you really think they would have been ok with me leaving you? Mom and dad would have killed me! And think of Fred and George! And Ginny! I bet she would have been too happy with me leaving you and Harry….” Ron shook his head. “No, I would have never gone there. Bill and Fleur promised me not to tell anyone that I was with them. They just said that they wanted to spend their first Christmas as a married couple alone. Luckily, the others believed this, and no one came to Shell Cottage at that time…”

“And did you get any news of the others? How are they?” Harry asked with an interested look on his face.

“They’re all right. Of course they are all being watched closely and the situation at Hogwarts is terrible, but it could be even worse. They’re alive and no one’s been hurt so far.” Suddenly, a wide grin appeared on Ron’s lips. “And I’ve got good news as well! Sirius escaped and he’s alive!”

We stared at Ron for a few seconds in silence. “Sirius…” I muttered, but I couldn’t say anything else. It felt like my heart was beating again, the first time in the past weeks. Ron still grinned at us and I knew that Harry couldn’t believe this as well. When I looked at him from the corner of my eyes, I saw that I was right. He blinked at Ron, trying to find the right words. But they wouldn’t come.

“Yes, he’s alive!” Ron repeated. “However, Bill didn’t want to tell me where he is now… Maybe he thought that it was fair. No one knew that I was at Shell Cottage, so I didn’t deserve to know where the others were as well…” He shrugged. “But Bill said he was all right.”

And then I started to cry. It was like the tension of the past weeks just vanished. Before I knew what was happening, Harry wrapped his arms around me. “He’s all right, Hermione. He’s alive. He made it!” He whispered repeatedly, and it took me some time to calm down again. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw that Harry was crying as well. He smiled widely and wiped away my tears.

He looked at Ron again. “Did Bill say anything else about Sirius? How is he? And did he really blow up that public toilet?” Now I looked at Ron curiously as well.

Ron, who was still grinning, nodded. “Yes, he did! No one knows exactly how he did it, but it had been quite spectacular, I think. And before, he had a fight with Yaxley and a few other Death Eaters.” Now Ron’s grin vanished slowly. “Apparently, they’ve both been wounded. Bill just said that they thought that Sirius wouldn’t make it at first.” My heart seemed to stop again and Harry squeezed my hand. He looked tensed. “However, he recovered very quickly.” Ron added when he saw the looks on our faces. “Bill said he’s all right.” Slowly, we relaxed again.

The silence that followed Ron’s words wasn’t an uncomfortable one. I closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. It made me so happy to hear that Sirius was alive! I would have given everything to have him here now… When I opened my eyes again, I saw that Harry was looking at the picture of himself, Sirius and me. He was smiling.

“We’ll find him, Hermione.” He said and sounded so confident about this that it made me smile.

I turned to Ron again. “Thank you.” I whispered and he smiled.

“You wanted to know how I found you, remember?” Ron said hesitantly and I nodded.

“It would be good to know. I don’t want anyone else to find us.”

Ron shook his head. “I don’t think that it will happen.”

“And why?” Harry asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Because they don’t have this.” Ron said and held up the Deluminator.

“The Deluminator?” I asked in surprise and Ron nodded.

“It doesn’t just turn the lights on and off. I don’t know how it works or why it happened then and not any other time, because I’ve been wanting to come back ever since I left. But I was listening to the radio, really early on Christmas morning, and I heard… I heard you.” Ron said and looked at me.

“You heard me on the radio?” I didn’t understand what he wanted to say with this. Next to me, Harry seemed to be confused as well. When I looked at him, he just shrugged.

“No, I heard you coming out of my pocket. Your voice came out of this.” Ron said and looked at the Deluminator again.

“And what exactly did I say?” I asked curiously.

“My name.” Ron said simply. “And you said something about a wand… that it was nearly broken…”

Now I remembered it as well. It had been the morning after our trip to Godric’s Hollow. I had told Harry that we had nearly lost his wand. I had said that he’d been lucky that it wasn’t destroyed, because then it couldn’t be repaired anymore. Just like Ron’s wand in our second year at Hogwarts…

Next to me, Harry nodded as well. “Yes, I remember that.”

“So I took the Deluminator out of my pocket.” Ron continued. “And it didn’t seem different, or anything, but I was sure I’d heard you. So I clicked it. And the light went out in my room, but another light appeared right outside the window. It was a ball of light, kind of pulsing, and bluish, like that light you get around a Portkey, you know?”

“Yes.” Harry and I said at the same time.

“I knew this was it. I grabbed my stuff and packed it, then I put on my rucksack and went into the garden. The little ball of light was hovering there, waiting for me, and when I came out it bobbed along a bit and I followed it behind the shed and then it… well, it went inside me.”

“Sorry?” Harry asked.

“It sort of floated towards me, right to my chest, and then – it just went straight through. It was here.” He said and touched a point close to his heart. “I could feel it, it was hot. And once it was inside me I knew what I was supposed to do, I knew it would take me where I needed to go. So I disapparated and came out on the side of a hill. There was snow everywhere…”

“We were there.” Harry said immediately. “We spent two nights there, and the second night I kept thinking I could hear someone moving around in the dark and calling out!”

“Yeah, well, that would’ve been me. Your protective spells work, anyway, because I couldn’t see you and I couldn’t hear you. I was sure you were around, though, so in the end I got in my sleeping bag and waited for one of you to appear. I thought you’d have to show yourselves when you packed up the tent.” 

I shook my head. “No, actually. We’ve been disapparating under the Invisibility Cloak as an extra precaution. And we left really early, because, as Harry says, we’d heard somebody blundering around.”

“Well, I stayed on that hill all day. I kept hoping you’d appear. But when it started to get dark I knew I must have missed you, so I clicked the Deluminator again, the blue light came out and went inside me, and I disapparated and arrived here, in these woods. I still couldn’t see you, so I just had to hope one of you would show yourselves in the end – and Harry did. Well, I saw the doe first, obviously.” I looked at Ron in silence.

“I’m glad that you’re back.” I said after some time and he smiled at me. “Even if I’m still a little angry. You shouldn’t have left.”

Ron nodded. “And I’m really sorry for that…”

“We shouldn’t think about all this anymore, at least not now.” Harry cut in. “Just think about it, we’re back together. Sirius is alive and after everything we’ve heard, he caused the Death Eaters lots of trouble. We have the sword of Gryffindor and we destroyed the locket, so there’s one Horcrux less to get rid of!”

Harry smiled at us widely and now Ron started to grin as well. They seemed so happy that I couldn’t stop myself from smiling too.


	64. Chapter 64

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

“No, you don’t know what it’s like for me!” I said angrily. “I’ve been trapped here for weeks now and it feels like it’s killing me, Moony!”

“Sirius…” Remus muttered helplessly and shook his head. We were standing in the kitchen and the day had begun like every other day here. I woke up first, prepared breakfast and waited for Remus and Tonks to get up as well. However, today had been different. Once Remus entered the kitchen, I couldn’t stand all this any longer. And we began to argue. I told him that I wanted to leave and search for Harry, Ron and Hermione. Of course Remus didn’t like the idea very much.

“I don’t care if it’s dangerous! I need to find them.” I closed my eyes, I couldn’t look at the sad expression on Remus’ face any longer. “I have to know if they’re all right.”

“I’m sure that they’re fine, Pads.” Remus said slowly. “If they would have caught Harry, we would already know that.”

I swallowed. Remus was right, the Death Eaters would make it public immediately if Harry had been caught. Because there was nothing else they wanted more. Nothing else Voldemort wanted more. Killing Harry was his first priority. I refused to think about it anymore.

“And what if there’s something else? They could be injured. Or worse.”

Remus sighed. “And how will you find them? We have absolutely no idea where they could be right now. They can’t return to Grimmauld Place after what happened. And where would they be otherwise? Do you really think that you could find them?”

I growled angrily. He was right again, I had no idea where they could be. They were looking for the other Horcruxes. However, none of us had any idea where they could be hidden. And I doubted that it would have changed by now. But either way…. Leaving this house was a tempting thought. I could be free again, not trapped in here…

“You see? You have no idea where you could start your search. And I don’t think that it’s a good plan to walk around aimlessly in times like this.” Remus tried to smile at me, however it didn’t reach his eyes. He was just as worried as I was. “Why don’t we wait a little longer? Maybe we’ll get to know something soon.”

I hesitated.

“Sirius, you know that the entire Order’s looking for signs of Harry and the others. And once someone knows something, they’ll come here to tell you about it. They promised it.”

Slowly, I nodded. In the past weeks, we contacted every member of the Order who was not watched by the Death Eaters. And everyone told us to look out for signs of Harry. And they said that they would inform me if they get to know something. We even talked to Aberforth, Dumbledore’s older and very bad-tempered brother.

“They can’t stay hidden forever. I think we’ll hear from Harry and the others soon.” Now Remus sounded a little more convinced and his smile was also more persuasive.

“I’m sorry that I yelled at you, Moony. I’m just so worried…” I muttered and Remus nodded.

“I know. Me too, Padfoot.”

* * *

The rest of the day wasn’t very exciting. Tonks walked into the kitchen a few minutes after my argument with Remus. She smiled at us and acted like it was a normal morning. However, I doubted that she didn’t hear our fight. I had been very loud and I regretted it afterwards. The baby would be there soon and Tonks needed as much peace as she could get.

In the evening, we had an unexpected visitor.

“What brings you here, Bill? We haven’t seen you for a long time.” Remus said once Bill entered the living room.

“I have news for you.” Bill said and sat down in an armchair.

“Good or bad news?” Tonks asked lightly. However, I noticed that her voice was shaking. Remus sat down on the couch next to her and squeezed her hand.

“I’m not so sure.” Bill replied hesitantly. “The first news are bad, I think.”

“What happened?” I asked, alerted from the look on his face.

“Yesterday, an owl arrived at the Burrow. Dad came to Shell Cottage this morning to tell us about it. There had been an incident at Godric’s Hollow.”

“Godric’s Hollow?” Remus asked and we exchanged a look. My heart was beating faster now. Harry told me that he wanted to go to Godric’s Hollow, back when we were hiding at Grimmauld Place. Could it be…?

Bill nodded, a compassionate look on his face. No one liked to talk about Godric’s Hollow, not after what happened with James and Lily there. “I'm sure you know Bathilda Bagshot?”

“The author of ‘A History of Magic’” I said immediately, and Bill nodded. “She lives at Godric’s Hollow, doesn’t she?”

“She did.” Bill said. “She’s dead.”

We all looked at Bill in silence.

“Part of her house was blown up. They think it’s been a curse.”

I inhaled sharply. Another house at Godric’s Hollow, destroyed by a curse? “And do they know what happened there?” I asked slowly.

Bill shook his head. “Not really, it’s a big riddle. Apparently, Bathilda didn’t have to do anything with it. She’s been dead long before it happened. She had been killed. And from the injuries on her body, it looks like she’d been killed by an animal. A snake, to be exact.”

“A snake?” Tonks asked curiously and I closed my eyes. A snake at Godric’s Hollow. And she killed someone. Not long after that, something else happened in that house. And it looked like there had been a fight.

“You know what this means, don’t you?” Bill asked and when I opened my eyes again, I noticed that they were all looking at me.

“I have an idea, yes.” My voice sounded hoarse.

“Do we know anything else?” Remus asked and turned to Bill again. I looked at Remus gratefully, but he didn’t notice it. I breathed in deeply and tried to calm myself. Voldemort’s snake had been at Godric’s hollow. And she killed Bathilda Bagshot. But why? What could she have known…? Or maybe it wasn’t about Bathilda at all. Maybe he just needed a spy in Godric’s Hollow… maybe he also thought that Harry would go back to the place where everything started. And then Nagini found out about Harry being there… And she lured them into the house…

“No, it just looks very bad. The entire upper floor is missing. And there’s much blood, but we don’t know if it’s from Bathilda or someone else.”

“Do you think they’ll find out more soon?” I asked, eager to change the topic. I didn’t want to tell Bill about my thoughts. I’m sure he wouldn’t keep it to himself. And if Harry had really been at Godric’s Hollow… I forced myself to stay calm. They escaped. The house had been empty, so they managed to get away from there in time. It had to be like this. They had to be alive.

“Now the good news, maybe?” Remus changed the subject and I was grateful for this question.

* * *

Harry

After Ron’s return, everything got back to normal very quickly. He was still trying to be very nice to Hermione because she was still angry with him, but otherwise it was as if he never left at all.

“I want to go to and see Xenophilius Lovegood.” Hermione said suddenly. A few days had passed since Ron’s return and we were sitting in the tent at the evening. Hermione was reading in the book she got from Dumbledore again.

“You want to… wait, _what_?” I asked and looked at Ron, but he seemed to be as confused as I was myself. 

“Xenophilius Lovegood. Luna’s dad.” Hermione repeated and I nodded.

“I know who you’re talking about. But why do you want to talk to him?”

Hermione stood up from her chair and put the book down on the table. I had seen the page she was showing us now about a hundred times and I also knew which symbol she was going to point at. “This sign here. It’s in the book Dumbledore left me. It was on that grave at Godric’s Hollow. And Luna’s dad wore it on Bill’s and Fleur’s wedding. That can’t be a coincidence.”

“And now you want to ask Luna’s dad what he knows about that symbol?” I asked and she nodded.

“I think it’s important. Otherwise, Dumbledore wouldn’t have added it to the book.” She hesitated. “It’s the best track we have at the moment since we don’t know where the other Horcruxes could be…”

I looked at the book again. “But why should it help us?”

Hermione sighed. “I have the feeling that Dumbledore wanted you to find out about this.”

“But wouldn’t he just have told me about it?”

“Maybe he didn’t get a chance to do so?” Hermione asked.

“I think it’s a good idea.” Ron said suddenly. “At least we’ll have something to do then. I mean, we don’t know how to continue our search for the Horcruxes, do we?”

I still wasn’t convinced.

“Come on, Harry. It won’t kill us to see Luna’s dad. And maybe Luna will be there as well!” Ron smiled at me and Hermione’s lips twitched.

I looked from my friends to the book and nodded. “Okay, but if something bad happens, it’s not my fault this time.”

“Sounds like a deal.” Ron said.


	65. Chapter 65

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer to Sirius' return! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

The village of Ottery St Catchpole looked very nice from the distance. It was still early in the morning and very cold, so there weren’t any people on the streets yet. After the events at Godric’s Hollow, the thought calmed me down a little bit. Next to me, Harry and Ron looked at the village in the sunlight as well. When I followed their gaze, I realized what they were looking at.

We couldn’t see the Burrow, the high hedges were shielding it from our view. However, being so close made me shiver. I would have loved to see the others again, Ron’s family, maybe even Remus and Tonks and other members of the Order… maybe even Sirius. But it was impossible, we couldn’t go there. After all, they were being watched. It was too dangerous.

“It’s weird, being this near, but not going to visit.” Ron said and after a few more moments, he turned his back on the Burrow. “Let’s try up here.” He said and began to walk towards the village. With one last look at the Burrow, Harry pulled on the Invisibility Cloak and we followed Ron.

We walked through the village for a few hours, but we didn’t find the house of the Lovegood’s. There were a few houses on a hill that didn’t seem to be inhabited, except one that stood a little aside from the others. “Do you think it’s theirs, and they’ve gone away for Christmas?” I asked and Ron sighed.

“Listen, I’ve got a feeling you’d be able to tell who lived there if you looked through the Lovegood’s window. Let’s try the next lot of hills.”

So we disapparated a few miles further north. And there, our search was successful. “Look, there!” Ron shouted and pointed at a house on top of the hill. The house which stood there looked very strange, like some sort of black cylinder.

“That’s got to be Luna’s house, who else would live in a place like that?” Ron said and I nodded. Ron was already walking towards the house and we followed him more slowly. When we arrived there, Ron was grinning widely. “It’s theirs, look.” He said and pointed at the signs on the gate. I took a step forward to read them. _‘The Quibbler. Editor: X. Lovegood’_ the first sign said and I nodded slowly. So this was their house. Hopefully, someone was there… The gate creaked when Ron opened it and we walked towards the house slowly. Ron already wanted to knock at the door, but I grabbed his arm. “Wait.” I muttered and turned to Harry. “You’d better take off the Invisibility Cloak, Harry. It’s you Mr Lovegood wants to help, not us.” When the Invisibility Cloak was in my bag again, I nodded and Ron knocked at the door. 

After a few seconds, the door opened. In front of us stood Xenophilius Lovegood; he was barefoot and wore something that looked like a stained nightshirt. His hair was dirty and he looked very tired.

“What? What is it? Who are you? What do you want?” He asked loudly and somehow, his voice sounded afraid. He looked at me, then at Ron and finally at Harry. When he realized who was standing there on his doorstep, his mouth fell open and he looked at him wide-eyed.

“Hello, Mr Lovegood.” Harry said and held out his hand. “I’m Harry, Harry Potter.” I doubted that it was necessary to say his name.

Xenophilius didn’t take Harry’s hand, he just stared at him in silence.

“Would it be ok if we came in? There’s something we’d like to ask you.” Harry said and finally, Xenophilius took a deep breath.

“I… I’m not sure if that’s advisable.” He muttered and looked around. “I mean… I’m not even sure…”

“It won’t take long.” Harry said and I knew that he was disappointed by Xenophilius’ behavior. Somehow, it was strange. This man told everyone that they should support Harry, but when he was showing up at his doorstep and asked for help, he didn’t want to let him in? I exchanged a look with Ron. He also looked around suspiciously. 

“I – oh, all right then. Come in, quickly. _Quickly!_ ” 

We entered the house and as soon as we were all inside, Xenophilius slammed the door shut behind us. He was looking very uncomfortable now and I didn’t like the situation as well. Maybe it had been a mistake to come here… But we needed to know what that symbol meant, maybe it was important…

“Why did you come here?” Xenophilius asked when we followed him through the house. Harry just wanted to speak, when something in the room attracted my attention. “Mr Lovegood, what’s that?” I asked in shock, even if I already knew the answer to my question.

Luna’s dad frowned and first, he didn’t seem to understand what I was talking about. But when he followed my gaze to the horn hanging on the wall, he smiled. “It’s the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack.”

“I don’t think it is…” I said slowly and next to me, Harry shook his head.

“Hermione, now’s not the moment…” He whispered and I turned to him.

“But Harry, that’s an Erumpent horn! It’s a very dangerous object and having something like this in a house…”

“How do you know that it’s an Erumpent horn?” Ron asked and I sighed.

“There’s an description in _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. Mr Lovegood, I’m afraid that you have to get rid of it as soon as possible, don’t you know that it explodes at the slightest touch?” 

Apparently, Mr Lovegood didn’t believe me. However, I was sure that it was an Erumpent horn. “This is the horn of a Crumple-Horned Snorkack, young lady. I bought it two weeks ago from a young wizard who knew my interest in things like this. It’s a Christmas present for my Luna. And now” with that, he turned to Harry “I want to know why you are here, Mr Potter.”

“We need some help.” Harry said before I could continue to talk about the horn.

“Ah. Help. Hm…” Mr Lovegood murmured and looked at Harry thoughtfully. “Helping Harry Potter… This could be rather dangerous…”

“Aren’t you the one who keeps telling everyone it’s their first duty to help Harry?” Ron asked. “In that magazine of yours?”

At those words, Xenophilius looked at the printing press that stood behind him.

“Well, yes, I have said those things. However-“

“That’s for everyone else and not for you?” Ron crossed his arms.

Xenophilius didn’t answer and looked around uncomfortably.

“Where’s Luna?” I asked. “Let’s see what she thinks.”

Now Xenophilius inhaled sharply. After a few moments, he sighed. “Luna is down at the stream, fishing for Freshwater Plimpies. She… She will like to see you. I’ll go and call her and then… yes. Then I’ll help you.” He had whispered those sentences and somehow, he sounded breathless. Before any of us could say something else, he left the room.

We all exchanged a look. “Is it just me, or is he somehow… weird?” Ron asked and we nodded.

“He doesn’t like us being here.” Harry said. “But I don’t understand this, he always told everyone to help me.”

Ron shrugged. “Maybe he changed his mind?”

“I think he’s afraid of something.” I said. “But I don’t know what it is… And this horn there” Harry opened his mouth to say something and I held up my hand “I _know_ that this is an Erumpent horn. You have to trust me at this. Whoever sold this to him has betrayed him.” 

“But that just means that he doesn’t know very much about magical objects, doesn’t it?” Ron asked, however I hesitated. I wasn’t sure about this. Somehow, the entire situation was strange…

We heard footsteps and then Xenophilius came into the room again. He was smiling and looked a little more relaxed than before. “Luna will join us soon, she’s excited that you are here. Now have a seat and tell my how I can help you, Mr Potter.” With those words, he removed a pile of papers from an armchair and sat down.

“Well-“ Harry began and looked at me. I nodded encouragingly. “It’s about that symbol you were wearing around your neck at Bill and Fleur’s wedding, Mr Lovegood. We wondered what it meant.”

Xenophilius raised his eyebrows. “Are you referring to the sign of the Deathly Hallows?”

Harry frowned and turned to Ron and me. I just shook my head and Ron shrugged; we didn’t understand the question as well.

“The Deathly Hallows?” Harry asked.

“That’s right.” Xenophilius answered. “You haven’t heard of them? To be honest, I’m not surprised. Very, very few wizards believe. Witness that knuckle-headed young man at your brother’s wedding” he nodded at Ron “who attacked me for sporting the symbol of a well-known Dark wizard! Such ignorance. There is nothing Dark about the Hallows – at least, not in that crude sense. One simply uses the symbol to reveal oneself to other believers, in the hope that they might help one with the Quest.”

I raised my eyebrows slowly. What was he talking about? The Quest? I looked at Harry and he grimaced. “I’m sorry. I still don’t really understand.”

“Believers seek the Deathly Hallows.” Xenophilius said simply.

“But what _are_ the Deathly Hallows?” I asked, desperate to understand what he was saying. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to come here. 

“I assume that you are all familiar with _The Tale of the Three Brothers_?” Xenophilius asked and I inhaled sharply. The symbol in Dumbledore’s book was painted at the beginning of that story.

“Yes.” I said and Ron nodded as well. Just Harry shook his head.

“Well, Mr Potter, the whole thing starts with _The Tale of the Three Brothers_ … I have a copy somewhere…” Xenophilius looked around the room and I realized that he wouldn’t find his copy in the chaos.

“I’ve got a copy, Mr Lovegood.” I said quickly and pulled _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ out of my bag. 

“The original?” Xenophilius inhaled sharply and I nodded. “Well then, why don’t you read it aloud? Much the best way to make sure we all understand.”

I hesitated, but after a few seconds I agreed. “All right.” I muttered and opened the book on the page with The Tale of the Three Brothers. The symbol on top of the page caught my eye again. Then I began to read.

* * *

It was confusing. After I read out the story, Mr Lovegood told us about those Deathly Hallows – the Invisibility Cloak, the Resurrection Stone and the Elder Wand. And it simply didn’t make sense! How could those objects exist? Objects that made the owner invincible, if something like that was even possible.

Harry and Ron believed Mr Lovegood immediately, his story made them very excited. However, I couldn’t really believe it. It just seemed so…. Illogical. Of course, I also had to admit that the Invisibility Cloak in the story seemed to be exactly like the one Harry got from his father – but couldn’t that be a coincidence?

Mr Lovegood left the room to see if dinner was ready. In the meantime, Harry and Ron discussed the story. I didn’t say much to it, I was still confused. Xenophilius really believed those things… Suddenly, another thought came to my mind. What would Sirius think about all this? Would he believe Mr Lovegood? Or would he think that it’s just a children’s story? I would have loved to ask him…

“Harry, what are you doing? I don’t think we should just look at everything in here.” Ron’s voice ripped me out of my thoughts and when I turned around, I saw Harry climbing up the stairs on the other end of the room.

“Harry!” I whispered sharply, but of course he didn’t listen. I looked at Ron, but he just shrugged helplessly. He turned around to look out for Mr Lovegood in case he came back.

Harry didn’t stay upstairs for a long time – only a few minutes – but when he came back, there was a strange expression on his face. Something wasn’t right.

“What’s wrong?” I asked and right before Harry could answer, Mr Lovegood entered the room again. Harry turned to him immediately, a serious look on his face.

“Mr Lovegood, where’s Luna?”

“Excuse me?”

“Where’s Luna?” Harry repeated impatiently.

“I’ve already told you that she is fishing for Plimpies.” Xenophilius muttered and I noticed that he sounded nervous. When I looked at the tray he was holding in his hands, I raised my eyebrows.

“Why have you only laid that tray for four? I thought Luna would join us later.” I said calmly. Nevertheless, I made sure that I could reach my wand as fast as possible. Next to me, I noticed that Harry and Ron did the same.

“I don’t think Luna’s been here for weeks. Her clothes are gone, her bed hasn’t been slept in. Where is she? And why do you keep looking out of the window every few minutes?” Harry asked and stood up slowly.

Mr Lovegood dropped the tray, the sound of breaking glass filled the room. Harry, Ron and I drew our wands and pointed at Mr Lovegood. Just in that moment – Xenophilius’ hand was close to his pocket now – there was a loud bang. From the corner of my eyes, I saw that it was the printing press for the  _Quibbler_ . I didn’t know what caused this, but I didn’t care either. I looked at Harry and Ron. When they nodded, I walked backwards slowly and knelt down to look at one of the magazines. My wand was still pointing at Mr Lovegood, just like Harry’s and Ron’s. 

I turned the magazine around slowly and when I saw the front page, I inhaled sharply. “Harry, look at this.” I said and stood up, the paper in my hand. I turned it around, so that the others could see it as well.

On the front page was a large picture of Harry and the words  _Undesirable Number One_ written underneath it. 


	66. Chapter 66

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now it's getting exciting again! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

I was still trapped in Remus’ house and slowly, I was starting to get restless. I walked around very much, which annoyed Tonks who was feeling tired more often. And Remus wasn’t too happy about it as well. He didn’t say anything and I was glad about it, but I felt his gaze on my back every time we were in the same room.

And I noticed that he was looking at me with a concerned expression on his face when he thought that I wasn’t paying attention. I knew that I shouldn’t be this nervous. However, I couldn’t just sit there anymore and do nothing. It was killing me and I hated the idea of Harry and Hermione being in danger while I couldn’t help them.

I didn’t think of Ron too much. The fact that he had left the others was still driving me crazy and I would have liked to punch him in the face. How could he do that? I had always thought that he was Harry’s best friend and that they would hold together. No matter what happened. Apparently, I had been wrong. Ron had left as soon as everything got uncomfortable. And who knew what happened to Hermione and Harry after he’d left them… It would have been better if they stayed together. Three people could defend themselves much better than two.  _I_ would have also felt better if I knew that they were together again. Because that’s why Ron had left. To find them again, at least that’s what I hoped. 

Bill had told me that Ron had been playing with the Deluminator right before he left. Maybe he had made his decision while doing that. Maybe the device Dumbledore had left him helped him to do the right thing.

I shook my head slowly. Thinking about all those things wouldn’t change anything. I was still here and the others were somewhere outside, searching for Horcruxes. And I couldn’t help them…

It was a dark day outside and it was raining. The snow had already melted and everything was gray now. I was standing at the window of my room on the first floor. The curtains were hiding me from everyone who was looking from the outside, so I could look out without having to fear that someone might notice me. Why had everything to be so complicated? I would do anything to find them… However, it wasn’t possible. Or was it?

A sudden thought appeared in my mind and I began to walk through the room restlessly.  _I_ couldn’t find them, that was true. They were hiding far too good and I couldn’t track them. But what if someone could do that? Someone whose magic was working different than my own.

I sat down on the bad and buried my face in my hands. But it was too risky. Of course Kreacher could find them. I had thought about this before. It would take its time. Nevertheless, I didn’t doubt that the elf could do it. He even found Mundungus who had been hiding a long time ago.

The risks of this plan made me pause. When he could find them, others could do it as well. It was possible that Kreacher would lead Death Eaters to them and I couldn’t risk that. I sighed loudly. Not such a good idea, after all.

I needed to do something either way. Just being here was killing me. It was time that something happened. I leaned back and closed my eyes, trying not to think of all this anymore. It took me some time to clear my mind from those thoughts and to calm down again. It was something I couldn’t do very often at the moment. I was too restless.

Suddenly, there was a sound that made me jump to my feet immediately. I reached for my wand on the table beside the bed and moved towards the door of my room, trying not to make any noises. The sound had been a knock on the door and as far as I knew, we weren’t expecting any visitors. Downstairs, I heard Remus ask his usual questions to make sure that the person wasn’t a Death Eater in disguise. When I recognized the voice, I put my wand in my pocket again. However, I made sure that I could reach it in time if something might happen.

There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs and when I left my room, I saw that Remus was walking towards me. “Sirius, there’s someone who wants to talk to you.” He said and I raised an eyebrow. Who would want to talk to me?

The question was answered when Kingsley appeared right behind Remus. He was looking troubled. When they reached the end of the stairs, I shook Kingsley’s hand. “What’s going on?”

Kingsley glanced at Remus, who didn’t seem to be too happy. “Could you leave us alone for a moment, Remus?” He asked and my friend sighed. It was obvious that he didn’t like the idea of leaving us alone.

Remus left reluctantly and looked over his shoulder again before he disappeared out of sight. I led Kingsley to my room and leaned against the wall while he sat down on a chair next to my bed. “Why are you acting so secretively?” I asked and Kingsley sighed.

“Something happened.” He replied simply and I raised my eyebrows again.

“And why don’t you tell it all of us?” I knew I sounded skeptical, but I didn’t care. Of course I trusted Kingsley and he had his reasons for not letting Remus know what was going on. Nevertheless, I would like to understand them.

“I think you have a right to know this.” Kingsley began hesitantly and frowned. “I don’t have any bad intentions in mind when I want to talk to you alone, Sirius.” He tried to reassure me. “I just think it’s… wiser to tell you this before Remus knows it as well.”

I still didn’t understand what he meant. He seemed to see my doubts. “You’ll understand it when you hear what’s going on.”

I nodded slowly. “And what’s going on?” My voice sounded impatient.

“There was been an accident close to Ottery St. Catchpole.” Kingsley began and held up his hand when I wanted to say something. The Weasley's were living there. “This isn’t about the Weasley's. They’re fine. Someone else is living close to them. Tell me, what do you know about Xenophilius Lovegood?”

I shrugged. “Author of the Quibbler. He’s the father of one of Harry’s friends, Luna. She’s a nice girl.”

Kingsley nodded. “The house of the Lovegood’s was blown up this afternoon. Death Eaters have been there and since then, Xenophilius has vanished. It seems like they have taken him. A wizard who lives close to them informed us. His cousin is in the Order.” He explained when he saw the surprise on my face. “He took a closer look on the house once the Death Eaters vanished and the Muggles had extinguished the fire. And under the wreckage, he found the latest edition of the Quibbler.”

I swallowed. “Does it say the same as the Prophet?” I asked and Kingsley nodded. “So he’s switched sides.” I muttered dryly.

“It seems so. But we don’t think that he did it freely. His daughter hasn’t been seen for weeks.”

“They’ve taken her?”

He nodded. “It seems so.”

“But what has it do to with me?”

Kingsley nodded slowly. “That’s the point. We think he wasn’t alone when the explosion happened. The cousin of our witness went to the village about two hours ago. He’s a talented Legilimens and he found out that two young people were seen today. They were walking through the neighborhood aimlessly; it looked like they were looking for something.”

My heart seemed to stop. “Two people?”

“Just two. A boy with red hair and a girl.”

I inhaled sharply. “And another boy under an Invisibility Cloak.” I added.

Kingsley nodded. “They were there, Sirius. And whatever they were doing didn’t end well.”

I forced myself to stand still. It wouldn’t help if I started to run through the room now. “And what are we going to do now?” I asked, my mind racing. Why had they been there? Xenophilius Lovegood... it had to do something with him. I tried to remember the last time I had seen him, on the wedding. He had worn yellow dress robes and was dancing. Krum had been with us and looked at him darkly. But why… because of the symbol around his neck! Suddenly I remembered what had happened clearly. And it was the same symbol as in Hermione’s book! The Deathly Hallows… Why would they visit Xenophilius Lovegood?

“Sirius?” Kingsley asked and ripped me out of my thoughts.

“Sorry, I just remembered something.” I muttered and Kingsley didn’t look convinced. However, he didn’t ask more questions.

“I’ve already contacted a few members of the Order. It wasn’t easy since many of us are on the run or hiding. Nevertheless, they all promised to look out for signs of them. Some even want to try to spy on well-known Death Eaters.”

I inhaled sharply. “That’s very dangerous.” I warned him and Kingsley raised his eyebrows.

“We all know that.” He said simply. “The most important task right now is to find Harry and the others to make sure that they’re all right. When they get him, everything is lost.”

The certainty in his voice made me pause and I didn’t know what to say.

“As soon as we get to know something, I’ll let you know about it.” Kingsley promised. “Then you can find them and make sure that they’re all right.”

At those words, my heart skipped a beat. There would be a chance to get back to them! My excitement vanished when I thought of the explosion that happened today. What if they had already been caught? “Can you tell me who is looking for them?” I asked and Kingsley leaned back on his chair.

He told me a few names and at a certain one, I gasped. “He did what?”

Kingsley smiled slightly. “You’ve heard what I said. I’ve contacted Aberforth, Albus’ brother. And he sent Dobby, the house-elf to find them.”

I shook my head slowly. “Incredible.” I muttered and ran a hand through my hair. So I wouldn’t have to risk calling Kreacher after all. “Do you think someone will find them?”

“I hope so.” Was the only reply I got to that question.

“What if they don’t?”

“We can’t lose hope yet, Sirius.”

I laughed bitterly. “Don’t talk to me about hope.”

A troubled look appeared on Kingsley’s face. “Do you understand why I’ve told you this now?”

“Remus would keep me from going to them. Or he would join me and then Tonks and the baby would be alone.”

Kingsley nodded. “I’m sorry, Sirius. But I think you’re in this alone…”

Now I held up a hand. “I wouldn’t want him to join me. He has to be there for his family.” I said simply.

Kingsley looked relieved. He just opened his mouth to say something more when there was a loud bang right next to me. My wand was in my hand immediately and Kingsley raised his wand as well. I gasped when I recognized the figure standing in front of us.

“Dobby?” I asked slowly, confused by his appearance in my room.

“Mister Sirius, it’s good to see you again!” Dobby said and before I knew what was happening, the house-elf grabbed my free hand and shook it. “And you, Mister Kingsley.” Dobby shook his hand as well.

“What are you doing here?” I asked slowly and a scared expression appeared on his face.

“Something terrible has happened. Dobby found them, Sirs. Dobby was told to look for them and he really found them! Harry Potter and his friends!” He shivered. “But they are…” He began to sob and I knelt down next to him. “They are…” Dobby tried again and when he finally managed to tell us what happened, I jumped to my feet and began to pack my things.


	67. Chapter 67

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is the chapter you've all been waiting for! Of course only if someone read the story this far. Since no one tells me about it, I'm not so sure yet... 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Harry

Everything went wrong. Of course it ended in disaster! Why did I have to say that bloody name aloud? Why didn’t I listen to Ron and Hermione? We had just escaped from Lovegood’s house. And now we were trapped either way – at Malfoy Manor. And they had Hermione…

I tried to fight Greyback again who was forcing us down some stairs towards a heavy door. Next to me, Ron did the same. However, we weren’t successful. Greyback unlocked the door with a tap of his wand and forced us inside. Then the door slammed shut and the echoing bang resounded in the room. Then, there was a terrible, drawn-out scream from directly above us. I shivered and my heart seemed to stop beating in my chest.

“HERMIONE!” Ron screamed next to me and started to move, which wasn’t easy since we were tied together by some ropes. “HERMIONE!”

“Be quiet!” I hissed loudly. “Shut up, Ron, we need to work out a way -“ He didn’t listen to me, he just kept shouting Hermione’s name. I tried something different, however the ropes stopped me from hitting him. “We need a plan, stop yelling – we need to get these ropes off –“ I tried again, but he still didn’t seem to listen.

“Harry?” I heard a whisper somewhere close to us. When I tried to see who was there, I saw a figure coming closer to us. “Ron? Is that you?” I knew that voice and finally, Ron stopped screaming.

“Luna?” I asked in shock and finally I was able to see the person in front of me. It was really Luna Lovegood. Even though we were trapped inside here, she smiled.

“Yes, it’s me! Oh, no, I didn’t want you to be caught.” Her expression darkened when she realized that we were in the same situation as she was. Trapped in here, with Voldemort on his way. Somehow, I knew that Bellatrix had already called him.

Above us, Hermione screamed again and then we heard Bellatrix shout something as well. However, I couldn’t make out her words.

“Mr. Ollivander?” Luna said and I inhaled sharply. Who else was here? “Have you got the nail? If you just move over a little bit… I think it was beside the water jug…” Luna came back and she held something in her hands. “You’ll need to stay still.” She said before she cut the ropes that tied us together.

Once we were free, I touched my wrists carefully. They were burning, but I didn’t pay much attention to it. We had to get out of here and save Hermione! I jumped to my feet and moved closer to the door.

“I’m going to ask you again! Where did you get the sword? Where?” Bellatrix’ voice echoed through the house and I began to feel sick when Hermione screamed again.

Suddenly, there was a clicking sound and the cellar was filled by balls of light. I saw the Deluminator in Ron’s hand and nodded. Apparently, the light he had taken in the tent was still useful for us. I looked around and noticed that Luna was looking at the light with a fascinated expression on her face. She was really pale and Ollivander, who was lying in the corner looked even worse. When I turned around, I saw two more prisoners. Dean sat on the ground and next to him, I recognized Griphook the goblin. It looked like he was unconscious, but then I saw that his eyes opened for a few seconds.

From above, I heard Bellatrix’ voice again. “You are lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth,  _tell the truth_ !” And then Hermione screamed again, this time even louder than before. “What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife!” 

“Harry, we have to do something!” Ron, who was still standing at the door, said and looked at me with a desperate look on his face.

“I know!” I shot back immediately. “But we can’t get out of here!”

I started to walk around fast, my mind racing. We had to do something. But we were trapped and didn’t have anything to defend ourselves. And they were torturing Hermione… Everything was a complete chaos. We heard Hermione telling them that the sword was a copy and Bellatrix didn’t believe her. In that moment, Lucius interrupted her and told Draco to get Griphook. Once he was gone, he was questioned as well about the sword.

I was still pacing through the cellar. Ron had given up his attempts to open the door and was still standing next to Luna’s side. He hadn’t moved since Draco had been here. I would have liked to scream as well. We had to save Hermione! But how…

Suddenly, there was a  _pop_ next to Ron and Luna. I stopped and turned around to see what had caused the noise. What I saw made me gasp in surprise. “Dobby?!” He asked as quietly as possible and next to him, Ron had opened his mouth as well. Harry hit him on the arm to make him stay silent. 

Dobby was looking at us with wide eyes and he was shivering. I realized that we were in the house of his old master and Dobby must be terrified. “Harry Potter” Dobby squeaked “Dobby had come to rescue you.” At that moment, I would have liked to hug him. I didn’t know how he knew that we were here and who had sent him, but I was so glad to see him that my knees nearly gave in. Then there was another scream which took me back to reality.

“You can disapparate out of this cellar?” I asked and Dobby nodded, his ears flapping.

“And you can take humans with you?”

Another nod.

“Right. Dobby, I want you to grab Luna, Dean and Mr. Ollivander, and take them to -“ Where?

“Bill and Fleur’s.” Ron said immediately and I shot him a grateful look. “Shell Cottage on the outskirts of Tinworth!”

Dobby nodded again.

“Then come back!” I added. “Can you do that, Dobby?” Without him, we wouldn’t be able to get out of here.

“Of course, Harry Potter.” Dobby whispered and the elf opened his mouth to say something else, but Harry interrupted him.

“Then let’s go!” Whatever Dobby wanted to tell him had to wait until the others were safe.

“Harry, we want to help you!” Luna protested and next to her, Dean nodded.

“We can’t leave you here!”

I shook my head. “Go, both of you. We’ll see you at Bill and Fleur’s.”

Suddenly, my scar began to burn and everything in front of me faded. I saw a face, it was an old man. He was very thin and laughing scornfully. “ _Kill me, then, Voldemort, I welcome death! But my death will not bring you what you seek… there is so much you do not understand…_ ” He felt Voldemort’s anger, but then another scream of Hermione let the vision fade again. When I opened my eyes, I was in the cellar and Ron stood in front of me, a concerned look on his face. Then there was a loud  _crack_ and I knew that the others had vanished. 

“What was that?” Lucius Malfoy shouted above us and I exchanged a look with Ron. “Did you hear that? What was that noise in the cellar?” I hoped that he wouldn’t come down himself. “Draco – no, call Wormtail! Make him go and check!”

There were footsteps on the stairs and everything was quiet now. Somehow, I knew that they were listening to more sounds down here. I turned to Ron. “We have to tackle him.” I whispered and Ron nodded. We stood on the walls on each side of the door. When Ron wanted to reach for the Deluminator, I shook my head. “Leave the lights on.” They would make it easier for us to see what we were doing.

“Stand back.” Wormtail's voice echoed through the cellar and I took a deep breath. “Stand away form the door. I am coming in.” The door flew open and for half a second, Wormtail looked into the apparently empty cellar, lighted up by three balls of light flying in mid-air. Then we jumped towards him. I got hold of his arm and tried to force him to the ground.

Wormtail opened his mouth to scream, but I slapped my hand to his mouth so that only a muffled noise escaped. Suddenly, the silver hand closed around my throat and he started to squeeze.

“What is it, Wormtail?” I barely heart Lucius’ voice from above, I was too occupied with trying to loosen his grip around my throat.

“Nothing!” Ron called back, trying to imitate Wormtails voice as good as possible. “All fine!”

Slowly, it was getting harder to breathe. I had one last idea and hoped that it would work. “You’re going to kill me?” I choked, still trying to remove his hand. “After I saved your life? You owe me, Wormtail!” To my surprise, it worked and Wormtail let go of my throat. My hand was still on his mouth, preventing him form speaking. His eyes were wide now and there was a mixture of fear and surprise in them. He seemed to be as shocked as I was about what his hand had done. Wormtail started to struggle more and I wrapped my free arm around his body, trying to hold him still.

Next to me, Ron took Wormtail’s wand from his other hand. Now the man started to shake and his eyes grew even wider. I knew that he was afraid, but when I followed his gaze, I noticed that he wasn’t afraid of us. His silver hand moved to his own throat now and I realized what it was about to do. 

“No -“ I muttered and tried to drag it back, but I wasn’t able to stop it. Maybe because of the magic Voldemort had used to create that hand. Ron tried to help me, but even together we weren’t able to stop the hand form strangling Wormtail. We couldn’t do anything against it.

Above us, Hermione had started to scream again. Ron tried to free Wormtail with a spell, but it didn’t work. He died in front of our eyes.

I exchanged a look with Ron and we ran towards the stairs. In the passageway leading to the drawing room, we stopped. We didn’t have a plan and just one of us had a wand. What a great situation. And Dobby still wasn’t back…I wondered what took him so long. He just had to drop the others at Shell Cottage and come back.

We looked into the drawing room carefully and I hoped that no one would notice us. Or go and look for Wormtail since he didn’t return yet. Bellatrix was looking down at Griphook, who was holding Gryffindor’s sword in his hands. Hermione was lying at Bellatrix’s feet and I feared that she might be unconscious.

“Well?” Bellatrix asked. “Is this the true sword?”

I held my breath and tried to ignore the burning of my scar.

“No.” Griphook said. “It is a fake.”

“Are you sure?” Bellatrix panted. “Quite sure?”

“Yes.” Griphook nodded.

Bellatrix breathed in deeply, a relieved look on her face. It seemed as if the tension in her body vanished slowly. When she touched the Dark Mark on her arm to call for Voldemort, it felt like my head was exploding. The room in front of me vanished and I was Voldemort again. He was angry because Bellatrix had called him and if I wouldn’t be there when he arrived, the Death Eaters would have to face the consequences.

“ _Kill me, then_!” The old man demanded. “ _You will not win, you cannot win! That wand will never, ever be yours_ -“ And then Voldemort’s rage exploded. There was a flash of green light and the body of the man fell to the ground, lifeless. Voldemort returned to the window, his anger still rising. 

“And I think we can dispose of the Mudblood. Greyback, take her if you want her.” Bellatrix’s voice took me back to reality. Next to me, Ron raised his wand, an angry look on his face. With a scream, he ran into the drawing room and I followed him quickly. Bellatrix’s surprise didn’t last long, she pointed her wand at Ron. However, he was faster.

“ _Expelliarmus_!” He shouted and Bellatrix’s wand flew into the air. I caught it and turned to Lucius Malfoy, who had turned towards us now. “ _Stupefy_!” He collapsed on the ground. From the corner of my eyes, I saw that Draco, Narcissa and Greyback had drawn their wands as well. I threw myself to the ground before one of their spells could hit me. 

“STOP OR SHE DIES!”

I looked around the sofa carefully. Bellatrix was standing in the middle of the room, holding her knife to Hermione’s throat. She still was unconscious. “Drop your wands.” Bellatrix whispered. “Drop them, or we’ll see exactly how filthy her blood is.”

Ron was still standing opposite Bellatrix, his hand closed around Wormtail’s wand. His knuckles were white. I stood up slowly, the wand still in my hand.

“I said drop them!” Bellatrix commanded and pressed the blade into Hermione’s throat. Blood appeared and I breathed in deeply.

“All right!” I shouted and dropped Bellatrix’s wand onto the floor at my feet. Ron did the same and we both raised our hands to show that we were unarmed.

Draco took the wands and Bellatrix nodded contentedly. She just told the others what they would to with us now when a grinding noise from above interrupted her. We all looked up just in time to see the crystal chandelier tremble. With a creak and an ominous jingling, it began to fall. Bellatrix, Hermione and Griphook had been directly beneath the chandelier. Bellatrix dropped Hermione and threw herself aside with a scream. The chandelier crashed to the ground and it fell directly on Hermione and Griphook, who was still holding the sword of Gryffindor. From the corner of my eyes, I saw that something had hit Draco in the face. There was much blood and he raised his hand to touch it.

Ron ran towards Hermione and looking at Draco, I saw my chance. I ran towards Draco and took the wands he was holding from him. Then I pointed at Greyback and yelled “ _Stupefy_ !” Greyback flew through the air and smashed to the ground again. From there, he didn’t move anymore. Ron was still trying to free Hermione – which wasn’t easy without a wand – and now Bellatrix turned to me. However, Narcissa focused on something else. “Dobby!” She screamed and Bellatrix froze, her eyes turning from me to the doorway. There was a noise behind my back and when I turned my head a little, I saw that Lucius was standing up again, his wand pointing at me. 

I glanced at Bellatrix again and swallowed, not sure what I should do now. Bellatrix and Lucius were both aiming at me, while Narcissa was directing her wand at Dobby. And Ron was still trying to free Hermione and Griphook…

“Dobby!” Narcissa screamed again. “You dropped the chandelier -?” Her voice sounded surprised and I feared that she would hurt Dobby. Or even worse, kill him. And just in that moment, there was another sound from behind Dobby. Footsteps, as if someone was running towards the drawing room. My heart began to race. Voldemort couldn’t be here yet, could he? I would _know_ if he was here…

“And he is not alone!” A loud, familiar voice announced and now my racing heart nearly stopped. I recognized that voice! For weeks, I would have given everything to hear it!

Sirius stopped in the doorway right behind Dobby, his wand raised. There was a serious expression on his face and he looked at the scene in front of him for a few seconds. He was very pale and his gaze wandered to the chandelier under which Hermione was still lying. Then his eyes flickered to me and for the briefest moments, his lips twitched. He didn’t seem to be surprised by the chandelier at all and I realized that they must have planned it.

“ _You!_ ” Bellatrix screamed and turned away from me, her wand pointing at Sirius now. “How dare you to come here -“ She screamed and it was obvious that Bellatrix was furious. Then she laughed, her voice cold. “Did you come here so that I could finally kill you, Sirius? After Yaxley failed?” A cruel smile appeared on her lips. “Maybe it is good that he failed. Now I can kill you myself! Forget the elf, I want _him_!” She said to her sister, however Narcissa was still aiming at Dobby, as if she wasn’t sure that the elf was harmless. 

Ignoring Bellatrix, Sirius looked directly at me. “You have to get out of here!” He shouted and when Bellatrix began to throw curses at him, he started to fight her. I was still focusing on Lucius, who still seemed to be dazed.

“Ron, catch!” I yelled and threw one of the wands to him. “ _Protego!_ ” I shouted to fight off the spell Lucius Malfoy had used. “ _Stupefy!_ ” He fell to the ground again and I hoped that he would stay unconscious this time. I knelt down next to Griphook and threw him over my shoulder – luckily, he was holding the sword tightly. Then I turned towards the others again, who were still fighting. Bellatrix was trying to hit Sirius with the killing curse and he moved around the room very fast – while doing that, he tried to hex Bellatrix as well. And to my surprise, Narcissa was still trying to fight Dobby. I reacted without thinking, I pointed my wand at her and stunned her so that she sank to the ground. 

“Dobby, we have to get out of here!” I shouted and the elf ran towards me. Ron had been able to free Hermione and held her in his arms now. To my surprise, her eyes were open. However, there was a pained expression on her face. And something else – was it fear?

“Sirius!”

“Coming!” Sirius shot another spell at Bellatrix – and disarmed her. Then he jumped over the couch and the armchair to get to us. Once he was there, we all grabbed Dobby’s hands and the elf disapparated.


	68. Chapter 68

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The first thing I noticed after we disapparated was the sound of waves and wind. I opened my eyes slowly and closed them again because the light of the sun was blinding me. After blinking a few times, I was able to see my surroundings.

We were kneeling on the ground close to a cliff. On my right side I saw Harry and on the left was Dobby, the elf. Not too far away, I saw a house and I recognized it immediately. We had made it to Shell Cottage where Bill and Fleur lived.

I let go of Harry’s hand and looked at my godson. Before I could say or do anything, Harry wrapped his arms around my shoulders and hugged me tightly. “Sirius…” He whispered in a muffled voice. I returned the embrace and only then I noticed the sharp pain in my arm. I groaned and Harry seemed to notice that something was wrong since he let go immediately, a worried expression on his face.

“Sirius are you all right?” He asked and when he looked at my arm, Harry paled. “You’re injured.”

I followed his gaze and he was right, there was a long, ugly looking cut on my left arm. “Bellatrix.” I muttered darkly. She must have thrown her dagger after I disarmed her.

“That doesn’t look good.” Someone else said and I turned around to see Ron looking at me wide-eyed. However, I didn’t pay much attention to him. I was focused on the person in his arms.

Hermione’s eyes were open, even if she looked very tired. There was a pained expression on her face and I wondered how she was even able to stay awake after what they did to her. When I thought about it, the burning anger that had nearly taken control of my actions at Malfoy Manor returned. I had been so close to ignoring our plan and storming into the drawing room. It had taken much self-control not to do that. It would have ended in chaos, I knew that. Luckily, Dobby had reminded me that we needed to stick to our plan. He was a very clever elf.

“You’re hurt.” Hermione whispered and stretched out her hand towards me. It was shaking and with my good arm, I took her hand and squeezed it.

“I’m fine, love.” I replied softly and before I knew what was happening, Hermione threw herself into my arms. Behind her, Ron gasped in surprise. I had just enough time to wrap my arms around Hermione before her knees gave in. This time, I didn’t care about my arm and ignored the pain. I was too happy to finally have her back.

Hermione began to cry and hid her face on my chest. “You’re here.” She sobbed and I stroked her back. “And you’re alive. I thought I lost you!”

“It’s all right, Hermione.” I whispered into her ear. “I’m here and nothing happened to me. And you are out of danger as well. I won’t let anyone hurt you again. I promise.” I kept stroking her back when I saw people running towards us.

I spotted Bill and Fleur immediately. Next to them, two others were also coming. They didn’t look much better than Harry, Ron and Hermione. I recognized Luna Lovegood, who had fought together with us at the Ministry. She had also been captured at Malfoy Manor.

Over Hermione’s shoulder, I exchanged a look with Harry. He still looked shaken and worried, but he was smiling at me widely. I smiled back at him, relieved that they were all right and that we were finally back together.

“What happened?” Bill asked once they were close enough for us to hear their voices against the wind. Bill looked around and stopped when his gaze fell on Harry. “And how are you -?” He shook his head slowly, still processing what he saw.

In the meantime, Fleur had come to Hermione and me. “They are injured! Bill, we ‘ave to ‘elp them!” She cried and now he turned to us as well.

“Sirius, your arm…” He muttered and I nodded.

“I know, it’s a long story.” I said. Then I looked at Hermione, who was still hugging me tightly. She wasn’t crying anymore, at least that’s what I hoped. “I can’t carry her inside.” I began slowly and Bill nodded.

“I’ll carry her.” He said immediately and I carefully released myself from Hermione’s embrace. Hermione’s eyes were closed and it didn’t look like she noticed that Bill was carrying her to the house now.

In the meantime, Harry had knelt a few meters away from us. Ron, Luna and the other person – I thought his name was Dean, but I was not sure – were standing next to him. Fleur was already helping Griphook to get to the house.

I walked towards them when Harry stood up. He was holding something in his hand. “Bellatrix’ dagger.” He muttered and looked at it darkly. It was still red with blood – my blood.

“Are you all right, Sirius? You are so pale. And someone must look at your arm, it’s bleeding very much.” Luna was looking at me with a concerned expression on her face and now Harry seemed to notice my injury too.

I had tried to ignore it, but I really began to feel dizzy. “That’s a good idea.” I agreed and turned around to walk towards the house. After two steps, the ground in front of me seemed to turn and I stumbled. Someone caught my right arm and there was a hand on my back, stabilizing me.

I looked to the right and into the eyes of a concerned looking Ron.

“Sirius!” Now Harry’s hand was on my back as well, he wasn’t holding Bellatrix’ dagger anymore. Together, Harry and Ron helped me to get to the house.

* * *

A few hours later, I was sitting in the living room together with Harry, Ron and Bill. Hermione was sleeping on the couch, her head on my lap. I had my arms wrapped around her to make sure that this was real. The others were sitting in armchairs opposite from us.

Griphook and Ollivander were in different bedrooms upstairs, both asleep. Bill had taken care of Griphook's injuries once we arrived. Since Ollivander arrived earlier, he had already been asleep. Now Fleur, Luna and Dean were in the kitchen together with Dobby. They said that they wanted to give us some space. I was grateful for that. It would be difficult enough to give Bill a satisfying explanation to why we just showed up here like this.

Before we came here and right after Bill had taken care of my arm, I had a short conversation with Harry and Ron. We agreed to tell Bill not more than necessary. Which was nearly nothing. There hadn’t been time for more than a few sentences since the others were keeping an eye on us. I was curious to know what happened to the others while we had been separated, but that would have to wait. Just as my story. Harry had made it very clear that he wanted to hear it as soon as possible.

I was feeling tired. It shouldn’t have surprised me – Bill said I lost lots of blood. However, it bothered me right now. I wanted to enjoy the reunion with the others. I knew that it wouldn’t be possible.

“I have to admit that this surprised me.” Bill began slowly after a few minutes of silence. “First, Dobby showed up here with Luna, Dean and Ollivander. They looked very bad and it seems like Ollivander has been tortured. Then, Dobby vanishes again. Just to show up here again with all of you.” Bill looked at every one of us silently and sighed. He turned to me. “Remus sent me a Patronus to tell me that you vanished. He was worried like hell. Said that someone showed up at his house and after that, you just packed your things and disapparated. Without telling him why or where you would go.” Bill frowned. “I have an idea who the visitor was.”

I nodded. “I didn’t plan all this.”

Harry frowned at us. “What do you mean? I mean, I really want to know how you knew where we were. And how you got to work with Dobby.”

I hesitated.

“Oh come on, you can tell us, Sirius. You should know that you can trust us.” Ron muttered and rolled his eyes.

“It’s not that.” I replied calmly and looked at Hermione who was still asleep. “I just think that she wants to know this as well.”

“And I am awake.” Hermione whispered and opened her eyes slowly.

“How long have you been awake, love?” I asked quietly.

“Since you sat down.” She answered.

“I’m sorry that I woke you.”

Hermione shook her head. “It’s all right. You’re right, I really want to know how you managed to save us.”

She sat up slowly and I wrapped my arms around her again. Hermione smiled slightly and I couldn’t stop myself from grinning. We were here, together. And alive. The constant worry of the past weeks was fading slowly. Nevertheless, I knew that it would return soon. We couldn’t stay here forever, there were still Horcruxes out there that needed to be destroyed.

“So whose plan was it that saved us?” Ron asked impatiently.

“And from where did you need to be saved?” Bill asked just as impatient as his brother. At that question, I exchanged a look with Harry. We had agreed not to tell Bill what happened.

“We cannot tell you this, Bill. I’m sorry.” Harry said slowly. “You know that Dumbledore gave us a task. But it has to stay between the four of us.”

Bill groaned and looked from Harry to me. “You are so alike, do you know that?” He muttered and shook his head. “All right. The past weeks, we all have tried to make Sirius talk. However, he didn’t say a thing and we got used to it. Seems like I just have to stop asking questions now as well. Tell me what you want, I won’t ask more questions.” He paused, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I trusted Dumbledore.” Then he turned to Harry. “And I trust you.”

Harry smiled at him. “Thank you, Bill.”

When Bill just nodded silently, I cleared my throat. “It’s a rather long story.” I began hesitantly and wondered if I could tell them what happened to me when Bill was there. But he already knew most of the story since we had seen each other from time to time in the past weeks. The tale of the others would have to wait.

“Shall I start from the beginning or do you want to hear that part later?”

“We want to know everything.” Hermione whispered and I kissed her cheek.

“All right.” I paused for a few moments to find a point where I could start this. “As you know, I prevented Yaxley from following you back at the Ministry.”

“Which was completely stupid.” Harry muttered and I smiled slightly.

“And very brave.” Hermione added quickly.

“It wasn’t easy to escape.” I continued. “The location wasn’t really made up for a fight and Yaxley isn’t a bad duelist. I barely managed to escape.”

“Did you really blow up the public toilet?” Ron asked and I nodded.

“It was the only chance to get away.”

“Awesome.” Ron grinned. However, the others were looking at me seriously now. And worried.

“You got hurt.” Hermione said and it wasn’t a question, so I just nodded. Carefully, Hermione reached out to touch a spot on my forehead. There was one of the scars I had gotten back in the fight. Since my hair was short now, it wasn’t concealed by it anymore.

“He looked terrible.” Bill threw in quietly. “We only saw him about a week after it happened, but it still looked like he was going to pass out any moment. I really don’t want to know how bad it was when you first showed up on Remus’ doorstep.”

I sighed. “He really thought that I wouldn’t make it. He was terrified. I think I’ve never seen him this nervous.” Hermione flinched at my words and I stroked her back slowly to make her calm down again.

“Remus?” Harry asked and changed the topic.

I nodded. “It was the only place I could think of. I didn’t know where else I could go. Grimmauld Place seemed to be too dangerous since we had lost each other.”

Next to me, Hermione nodded. “We thought the same. That’s why we didn’t go back.”

“And I also thought that it was too risky to call Kreacher.” I added.

Harry turned to Bill. “And you met him because -?”

“They couldn’t think that I was dead forever.” I answered instead of Bill. “Because that’s what everyone thought. That I was killed. No one knew if you escaped or were caught.”

After that, I told them a few things about my time at Remus’ and Tonks’ place. Harry and Hermione asked many questions about the others. If they were all right, what they were doing and so on. When I continued with my conversation with Kingsley and how he told me that Dobby was looking for Harry, Ron and Hermione, they were surprised. While telling my story, I noticed that Harry got nervous. I noticed that something was wrong immediately. And apparently, Hermione had noticed it as well since she was looking at him through narrowed eyes.

“Who sent Dobby?” Bill asked curiously. He hadn’t noticed Harry’s agitation by now.

“Aberforth.” I replied simply.

“You mean -?” Hermione began and I nodded.

“Albus’ brother.”

“Why did he help us?” Harry asked. “I thought that their relationship was very bad.”

“It was. For a long time.” I explained. “In the end, they got along with each other again. That doesn’t mean that they were the best friends, of course.” I added quickly. I had seen them together a few times and it didn’t seem like Aberforth had been happy to be with his brother.

“And that’s how I got there.” I finished my story. I didn’t want to say where we have been in front of Bill. The annoyed look on his face told me that he knew that as well. However, he just sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“I assume you will not stay here for a long time?” He asked and his tone showed that he already knew the answer.

“I fear we can’t.” Harry said slowly. “There are still many things we have to do.”

Bill nodded slowly. Apparently, he had really expected this answer. “But you will stay for a few days, won’t you?” He looked at all of us. “You all need a break. Sirius and Hermione are injured and you look like you’re going to pass out any moment, Harry.”

At Bill’s words, Harry looked to Hermione and me. He frowned when he saw the now bandaged cut on my arm again. Then his gaze wandered to Ron, who nodded quietly. Harry sighed. “I think you’re right.” He muttered. “We need to talk about a few things either way.”

Bill didn’t look happy. “All right. I’ll see if I can get you a room.”

I smiled at him. “Thank you, Bill.”

Now Bill smiled slightly as well. “You don’t have to thank me for that.” He looked at Harry. “It’s an honor to help you.”

* * *

“We need to talk to Griphook and Ollivander.” Harry whispered as soon as Bill left.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. “Why?”

Harry looked towards the kitchen hesitantly. “It’s important.”

“You know something.” I suspected and he nodded silently.

I stood up and held out a hand to Hermione, who took it with a small smile. “All right.”

Harry raised his eyebrows. “You don’t want to know what it’s about?”

I shrugged. “I think we’ll get to know it soon.”

Harry seemed to be surprised and I chuckled. “Don’t look at me like that. I had to learn to be patient in the past weeks.” The last sentence sounded harder than I wanted.

Harry frowned. “Sirius…” He muttered and I shook my head.

“Don’t. It’s nothing.”

With two steps, Harry was standing in front of me and hugged me tightly. Luckily, Hermione was able to stand on her own again since I had to let go of her. “I have missed you so much.” Harry whispered and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders.

“I missed you too. All of you.” I added with a glance at Hermione and Ron.

“I really thought that you were –“ Harry didn’t finish the sentence. I knew exactly what he wanted to say.

“I’m here and I’m fine. And to be honest, I was more worried about you. If something would have happened to any of you…” I shook my head. “I don’t want to think about it.”

“There’s so much we have to tell you.” Harry said once we let go of each other. I wrapped my arm around Hermione’s waist and pulled her closer.

“I’ve missed you.” Hermione whispered and smiled shyly. There was something else in her eyes, maybe concern? I couldn’t quite name it. I would have loved to talk to her alone now, but it wasn’t possible. There were many things that needed to be done first.

“I won’t let you go again.” I muttered and leaned closer to her. “I was so worried.”

She nodded. “Me too. When we heard that you were dead –“ Her voice broke and she closed her eyes.

“Hermione, look at me.” I whispered. “It’s alright, love. We are all here. And we will stay together from now on, I promise.” When she managed to smile again, I leaned in and kissed her. It wasn’t a long kiss, our lips barely touched. But it was enough for now. Holding her in my arms made me happy enough after weeks of being apart from her. Without knowing if she was alive.

“Sirius, can I ask you something else?” Ron asked suddenly and I raised my eyebrows at him. “When did you cut off your hair? And the beard? You look so different.”

Harry chuckled and even Hermione smiled with an amused glance in her eyes. “I’ve been wondering about that as well.” She admitted and when she saw the look on my face, she chuckled. “It suits you. Makes you look younger. Even if I miss the long hair.”

I smiled slightly. “And the beard?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking that question.

“Maybe even that.” She admitted and looked down in embarrassment.

Then we all started to laugh. It was a good feeling to have them back.


	69. Chapter 69

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

To say that it surprised me that Sirius didn’t want to know why Harry insisted on talking to Griphook and Ollivander would be an understatement. Normally, he would have never agreed to something like this without knowing the reasons first. While we were walking through the house towards Griphook's room – Sirius held my hand – I tried to figure out what had changed.

Sirius had never been a patient person and it had always bothered him when we didn’t tell him about our plans immediately. So why was he this patient now? Could those past weeks have changed him so much?

I sighed, not sure if I should talk to him about my confusion. After all, I just got him back. He had saved us and, in that moment, through all the pain, his voice had given me the strength to keep on fighting Bellatrix and her torture. I had never been happier to see him – and I was still happier than words could tell. Sirius was back and he was alive.

Apparently, he heard my sigh since he looked at me with a frown. “Hermione are you all right?” He whispered and I nodded automatically.

“I’m fine. Just thinking about everything that happened.” I admitted. Maybe I should really talk to him about everything.

Sirius squeezed my hand. “Don’t worry, nothing can happen to you.” It looked as if he wanted to say something else, but we had reached Griphook's room and Harry knocked on the door.

Our conversation with Griphook wasn’t very long – he was still very tired from his injuries. The longer Harry talked to him, the more I realized that he really had a plan. Somehow, it didn’t surprise me that Harry asked the goblin if there was a way to get into Bellatrix’ vault at Gringotts.

“Harry.” I whispered once we left the room. “Are you saying what I think you’re saying? That there’s a Horcrux in the Lestranges’ vault?”

Harry nodded. “Bellatrix was terrified when she thought we’d been in there, she was beside herself. Why? What did she think we’d seen, what else did she think we might have taken? Something she was petrified You-Know-Who would find out about.”

“But I thought we were looking for places You-Know-Who’s been, places he’s done something important?” Ron asked, a confused expression on his face. “Was he ever inside the Lestranges’ vault?”

“I don’t know whether he was ever inside Gringotts.” Harry said slowly and ran a hand through his hair.

“But it makes sense, doesn’t it?” Sirius threw in. In Griphook's room, he didn't say a single word which had surprised me. He had just watched Harry with a thoughtful look on his face. And there had been something else in his eyes, something I couldn’t quite name. It had looked like regret, but why should he feel like that? “You-Know-Who never had much money. And a vault at Gringotts was something he could never dream of. It’s a symbol for him, a symbol of belonging to the wizarding world. And you shouldn’t forget that Bellatrix’ and her husband were among his most loyal followers. They would have done anything for him and I bet it would have been an honor for them to place something he gave them in their vault.”

The dark look on his face when he was talking about Bellatrix made me feel uneasy and I squeezed his hand. It was not difficult to imagine what he was thinking right now.

“I don’t think he’d have told Bellatrix it was a Horcrux, though.” Harry said. “He never told Lucius Malfoy the truth about the diary. He probably told her it was a treasured possession and asked her to place it in her vault. The safest place in the world for anything you want to hide, Hagrid told me… except for Hogwarts.” The longing in Harry’s voice was obvious when he mentioned Hogwarts. He missed the castle very much and somehow, I did too. I smiled at him sadly.

“You really understand him.” Ron muttered and shook his head.

Harry shrugged. “Bits of him. I just wish I’d understood Dumbledore as much. But we’ll see. Come on – Ollivander now.”

Harry avoided looking at any of us – especially at Sirius – and walked towards the other room quickly.

Next to me, Sirius frowned. “I missed very much, right?” He muttered and I nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. We’ll talk about all this later.” Without looking at me again, Sirius followed Harry and Ron. I closed my eyes for a second, realizing that it bothered Sirius much more than he wanted to show us.

* * *

“Oh, and Mr. Ollivander?” Harry turned around once more. We all had listened to his conversation with Ollivander about wands and the Elder Wand quietly and were about to leave the room now. Sirius was still looking very unhappy and frustrated because he had missed everything Harry was talking about now.

“He’s found it. He found the Elder Wand, Sir.” With those words, Harry left the room. I exchanged a look with Ron and we followed Harry and Sirius slowly. Harry was heading for the room Bill and Fleur had given us. Once we were all inside, Harry turned to us again.

“It’s a long story.” I frowned, not understanding why he was saying this. However, I realized that he was talking to Sirius who was sitting on the bed.

Sirius nodded slowly. “I see.” He turned to me. “The symbol in the book.  _The Tales of Beedle the Bard_ . The Deathly Hallows. Dumbledore put it there, right?” 

I sat down next to him, too surprised to say anything. It took me a few moments before I found my voice again. “So you really recognized it!” I exclaimed. “The first time you looked at the book there was this strange expression on your face when you saw the symbol.”

“You knew what it was about and didn’t tell us?” Harry cut in before Sirius could say anything at all.

Sirius sighed. “I didn’t think that it was important. The book is full of stories for children. And yes, I recognized that symbol. However, I didn’t understand why it was above that certain story.”

Harry sighed and leaned against the wall next to the window. “You could have told us that you knew what it meant.” He sounded hurt, but it was hard to tell if he was angry at Sirius for not telling him about the symbol or at Dumbledore for not telling him anything at all. I suspected the latter. “It was important, after all.”

“Harry…” I whispered. “You can’t blame Sirius for this. Just because you’re angry at Dumbledore and all those things went wrong –“

“What, Hermione?” Harry asked in a sharp tone. “I should stay calm? How do you think I should do that? He’s out there and he has the Elder Wand. There are still three Horcruxes left. It seems impossible to beat him now. And the person who knew about the Hallows all along, who even _possessed_ one of the Hallows didn’t tell me anything!!” 

“Harry, you have to calm down.” I whispered and hoped that he would stop hissing at us like this. I was glad that he wasn’t shouting, it would have alarmed the others in the house.

“What do you mean, who had one of the Hallows?” Ron cut in quickly and Harry sighed. He closed his eyes and slid down the wall until he was sitting opposite Sirius and me. Now Ron was the only one standing and he sat down on a chair next to the bed quickly.

“Maybe I should start from the beginning.” Harry muttered and looked at Sirius apologetically.

“Maybe we should tell him the entire story then?” I suggested, knowing that it would take some time to do that. Nevertheless, I couldn’t stand the frustrated look on Sirius’ face anymore.

“Do you think that it’s a good idea? We’re all tired.” Harry said doubtfully. “And you really need some sleep, Hermione.”

I shook my head. “I’m fine.” I looked at Sirius and Ron, but it didn’t look like they had anything against hearing the story now.

So Harry began to recount everything that happened since out trip to the Ministry. Sirius was a good listener, he didn’t ask questions very often. When Harry came to the part where Ron left, Sirius didn’t look surprised. However, he looked at Ron accusingly, which made Ron look away with an ashamed expression on his face.

When Harry told Sirius about our trip to Godric’s Hollow, he paled and it wasn’t so easy for Harry and me to make him stay calm. Sirius was still shaking afterwards and I squeezed his hand tightly while gesturing Harry to go on with the story. When Harry finished his tale, Sirius had closed his eyes and laid back on the bed. He buried his face in his hands. “Please remind me that I will never, ever leave you alone again.” He muttered through his hands.

“And we won’t let you go again.” Harry added in a calm voice. “Sirius, what Bill said about your injuries earlier…” He took a deep breath.

In the meantime, Sirius sat up and held up a hand. “Don’t. We can’t change what happened and as I said, I don’t regret fighting Yaxley to help you escape. But to know that I was at Remus’ place and doing nothing, while you….” He shook his head. “While you risked your lives and got nearly…” His voice broke and I touched his shoulder carefully. However, I did not expect Sirius’ reaction to this. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders tightly and buried his face in my hair. We didn’t stay like this for long because Sirius knelt down in front of Harry and hugged him as well. “Don’t risk your lives like that again.” He muttered and looked at all of us.

“You know that we can’t promise this.” Harry said carefully and Sirius nodded.

“Just be careful.” He sat down next to me again. “And now that I know your story, tell us why Dumbledore had one of the Hallows. Am I right to assume that it was the Elder Wand?”

Ron inhaled sharply while Harry nodded. I looked at Sirius and raised my eyebrows. How did he know that? Harry cleared his throat. “I already told you about the dream in which You-Know-Who tried to find Gregorovitch. Gregorovitch had the Elder Wand, but that was a long time ago. You-Know-Who tracked him down and he found that Gregorovitch didn’t have it anymore. It was stolen by Grindelwald. I don’t know how he found out that Gregorovitch had it, however that isn’t important now. Grindelwald used the Elder Wand to become powerful. And at the height of his power, when Dumbledore knew he was the only one who could stop him, he dueled Grindelwald, and beat him, and he took the Elder Wand.”

“Dumbledore had the Elder Wand…” Ron muttered and shook his head in disbelief. “But you said to Ollivander that You-Know-Who has it now.”

Harry nodded. “He found out about it’s last owner. And he took if from Dumbledore, from his grave at Hogwarts. Just a few hours ago.”

“You saw it.” I assumed and Harry nodded. He looked like he expected me to criticize him and I saw his eyes widen in surprise when I remained silent.

“But when you knew about this… Why didn’t we go there to get it before You-Know-Who arrived there? He’s got the unbeatable Wand now, Harry. How are we supposed to stop him?”

Harry sighed. “I have to apologize. I didn’t want to lose my mind earlier, when we talked about the Hallows. Sometimes, it’s just difficult to control my anger, especially when we’re talking about Dumbledore…”

“We understand you.” I said. “You trusted him very much and Dumbledore kept these things from you.”

“Nevertheless, you should never forget that he loved you, Harry.” Sirius added in a soft voice. “Maybe you haven’t noticed it, but I did. You were very important to him.”

Harry closed his eyes. “I know. And deep inside, I also understand that Dumbledore didn’t want me to have the Elder Wand. He didn’t want me to take it and that’s why he never mentioned the Hallows. He wanted me to concentrate on the Horcruxes because they are important now. We need to find them to stop You-Know-Who.”

Harry turned to Ron. “How are we supposed to stop him now?” He stood up slowly. “We’ll continue with our task. We’ll find the Horcruxes and destroy them. And after that, we have to face him.” Harry ran a hand through his hair. “We’ll start at Gringotts.”


	70. Chapter 70

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The next morning, I woke up early. The others were still asleep, so I left quietly, careful not to wake them. After the events of the previous weeks, they really needed some rest. Especially Hermione and Harry.

I was still very relieved to have them back and looked at them silently for a few moments before I closed the door carefully. The room we’ve been sleeping in wasn’t very big and there had been only two beds. Since the others were too tired the previous evening, I’d just transformed the chair and a small table into two more mattresses. I hoped that Bill and Fleur wouldn’t mind. 

Downstairs, I only found Bill in the kitchen. He was drinking tea and looked out of the window thoughtfully. He didn’t seem to hear me coming, so I cleared my throat. “Good morning.” I sat down as well, and Bill smiled tiredly.

“Morning.” He had dark rings under his eyes and his hair was a mess. I wondered if he’d slept at all. “Everything all right? How’s your arm?”

I smiled slightly. “The others are still asleep. And I’m fine, just a little scratch.”

Bill’s expression darkened. “We both know that’s not true.” Alright, maybe more than a scratch. And maybe it also still hurt, but I would never admit that. Luckily, he dropped that subject. “From what I’ve seen yesterday, the others really need some sleep. The past months have been hard for them.” Bill looked at me thoughtfully for a few moments. “Sirius… can I ask you something?”

I nodded slowly. “You know that I can’t answer all your questions, but I’ll do my best.” I assured him, careful not to promise too much.

“I know that.” Bill muttered and I could hear the annoyance in his voice. “In the past months, I always got this answer when I wanted to know something. Even Ron always said that he can’t tell us anything when he was here for Christmas.” He shook his head. “You can trust us.” Before I could interrupt him, Bill held up his hand. “It’s not that easy, I know. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t blame you for anything. You just do what Dumbledore wanted.”

“I understand how you’re feeling.” I said. “I talked to Remus about this a lot the previous months and he’s explained to me how infuriating it can be very detailed. And I can imagine it as well. I don’t know what I would do if Harry and the others wouldn’t tell me anything.” I grimaced at the thought and was glad that Dumbledore trusted me as well.

“I’m glad that they have you by their side again.” Bill admitted and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “I feel better when I know that there’s someone else looking for them. Ron’s my brother and somehow, I feel like Harry and Hermione also belong to our family. And you too, Sirius. It just makes me feel better to know that you all take care of each other.”

I smiled slightly, but I didn’t know what to say. Bill Weasley considered me a part of their family? That Harry and Hermione were part of the Weasley's was obvious, but me? To say that I was surprised by this would have been an understatement.

“You wanted to ask me something.” I said to change the subject.

Bill nodded. “Right.” He smiled sheepishly, before he became serious. “I don’t want to know what happened, I know that you can’t tell me, but I just have to know if you got involved in a big fight yesterday. I’ve been thinking about this all night and I can’t ask the others, I’m sure they won’t tell me anything.” 

I raised an eyebrow. He wanted to ask me  _this_ ? After everything that happened yesterday? When Bill saw the skeptical look on my face, he sighed. “This is stupid.” He muttered. “Of course it’s been bad. Forget I asked about it.” 

“You’re worried, so it’s not stupid.” I interrupted him. Did he really want to ask me this or did Bill change his mind in the last moment? Somehow, this question was very untypical for him.

I heard footsteps on the stairs and looked over my shoulder to see who was coming. First, Bill looked at me in confusion before he laughed. “I forgot that you hear better than all of us together. Except for Remus, maybe.”

It was Fleur who entered the kitchen. She was also looking tired and greeted me with a smile. Then she kissed Bill and began to prepare breakfast. Bill stood up to help her immediately.

“In his human form, Remus doesn’t hear as much as I do.” I told Bill before I began to feel guilty. I didn’t inform Remus that everything went well the previous evening.

“He knows that you’re all right.” Bill interrupted my thoughts. “I sent a message to Remus, Kingsley and Dad last evening, telling them that everything’s fine. I think they’ll show up here soon.”

I breathed in deeply. “Thank you, Bill.”

Bill smiled. “Don’t thank me for this.”

The next minutes, I sat in the kitchen, drank tea, and watched Bill and Fleur prepare breakfast. I wanted to help them, but every time I stood up, they both glared at me and I sat down again. Fleur said that I could help, but only when my injury was healed, and I wasn’t looking like I was going to pass out soon.

When I got ready, I didn’t look in the mirror this morning. However, I didn’t feel very good, so what Fleur said must have been true. Inwardly, I sighed. It had been a hell of a day yesterday. So much had happened since Kingsley showed up and now everything was different again. At the same time, I was relieved. After months of waiting, I have finally been able to do something. Together with Dobby, I’ve saved Harry and his friends. And now we were together. Luckily, no one was injured too badly. Even Hermione would be all right again, after everything she went through…

At that thought, I breathed in deeply, trying to control my anger. I couldn’t change what happened anymore. We’d saved them and that was the only important thing. Bellatrix couldn’t hurt her again.

And finally, I could help them again.

Then I thought of my time at Remus’ and Tonks’ place. I knew that I hadn’t been easy company all the time, especially when we got news and I couldn’t do anything. I would have to apologize the next time I saw them. Which would be soon, at least I hoped that.

Today, we would have to talk to Griphook again. Harry explained his plan to us last night, right before we all went to sleep. It was stupid, risky, and dangerous. However, no one had a better idea. We had to break into the Lestrange’s vault at Gringotts, with the help of Griphook, whom we couldn’t trust. And I was sure that he would want something for his help. Probably the sword of Gryffindor. Goblin’s never did something freely and without payment. However, we didn’t have a choice in this. If there really was a Horcrux in that vault, we had to go there. Griphook was our only chance.

“You should stop staring so darkly, Sirius.” Fleur’s voice ripped me out of my thoughts. “Otherwise, you will get wrinkles all over your face.”

I looked up and noticed that she was staring at me. Bill looked over his shoulder, an amused expression on his face. “You should stop appealing to his looks. You know how important that is to him.” Bill grinned and I rolled my eyes.

“You know that’s not true.” I ran a hand through my short hair. “Otherwise, I would have never let this happen.”

“You did it because no one will recognize you like this at first.” Bill corrected him. “Remus told us the story.”

They would recognize me, even with my new look. However, I swallowed down the comment. I couldn’t tell them that Bellatrix and the Malfoy's had seen me like this.

“All right, you caught me.” I forced a smile on my lips and held up my hands. “I’ll let them grow again when everything is over.”

Now they both laughed and after some hesitation, I joined them. “And now tell us what you were thinking. You looked worried.” Bill said when everything was silent again. Upstairs, I could hear footsteps and wondered if the others were awake already.

“Who isn’t worried at the moment?” I asked back and Bill groaned.

“A master of distractions.” He muttered.

“Who?” A voice from the door asked.

“Sirius.” Bill answered immediately.

I looked at Harry, Ron and Hermione and rolled my eyes. “Just because he asks questions he knows I can’t answer.”

They were all grinning at me, and Harry turned to Bill. “You know that we can’t –“

“Tell me anything, _I know_!” Bill said loudly and sighed. “And good morning to you too.” He gestured for them to sit down. 

“How are you feeling?” I asked Hermione when she sat down next to me slowly.

“Better.” She said with a smile and I grinned. It was true, her cheeks had even gained some color again.

“Thanks to you.” Ron added and for a moment, I forgot that I should be angry at him.

“And Dobby.” Harry added and frowned. “Where is he?”

“Outside.” Bill answered the question for me. “Looking at the ocean, he’s been sitting there for some time now.”

Harry stood up and walked to the window and I joined him. Without really thinking about it, I placed my hand on Harry’s shoulder. The smile I gained for it made me grin as well. I had really missed him. And the constant worry of those past months had nearly driven me crazy.

When I followed Harry’s gaze, I saw a small figure sitting in the grass, face turned towards the ocean. “You want to go outside?” I asked quietly and Harry nodded.

“I didn’t get a chance to thank him. Or you.”

I shook my head. “You don’t have to thank me. I was glad that I could finally do something. Just sitting around and waiting’s been driving me crazy.”

The flash of guilt on Harry’s face wiped away my smile and I swallowed. But there has been something else on his face, I would recognize the fear on my godson’s face anytime. “We’re all here and everyone’s going to be fine.” I whispered so that only Harry could her me and turned to that I shielded him from the views of the others. Then I placed both hands on his shoulders.

“But you nearly died, Sirius.” Harry muttered now and I could see the concern in his eyes.

“I’m fine.” I argued immediately and of course he looked at my arm where the knife had hit me the previous day. “Just a scratch.” I repeated my words from earlier. “And Harry, it was my own choice. I couldn’t let them get you. I would gladly sacrifice myself again if it would mean that you can stay safe.”

“Don’t say that.” He said sharply and, in that moment, he reminded me so much of James. He also used to get angry when someone got in trouble to safe him.

I breathed in deeply and pulled him closer. We stayed like this for a few moments before Harry drew back slowly. His eyes wandered to Hermione and Ron for a few seconds and I knew that they’d heard most of our conversation. I could feel their eyes on my back now. Luckily, Bill and Fleur were also talking softly and didn’t pay attention to us. So at least not everyone got to hear what we just said. “Don’t do that again.” Harry said now, a little louder.

“I won’t promise anything.” I replied immediately. “I’ve got to keep you safe.”

“And we can take care of ourselves.” Harry argued.

“Most of the time, that might be true.” I muttered and turned around so I could see Hermione and Ron as well. Hermione was looking sad now and she was paler than before. I smiled sadly, knowing that my words were the reason for this.

“Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else.” I suggested, knowing that Bill and Fleur would be ready with breakfast soon.

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Harry said sternly. “You’re part of the team and we all work together. We all look out for each other. And that means that we also won’t let anything happen to you again.”

I looked at the three of them silently and saw the determination in their eyes. Even Ron was looking stubborn now. I still thought that their lives were far more important than mine, but apparently, I was wrong about this.

I chuckled. “You’re impossible.” I muttered and sat down again. Hermione took my hand and squeezed it.

“And you should accept that your life is important as well.” She whispered and I could see in her eyes that my opinion still bothered her.

“All right, you won.” I muttered and slowly, the tension between us was fading.

Then Luna and Dean entered the kitchen and we couldn’t talk about anything anymore. We had to make space, summon a few more chairs, and then we were finally able to have breakfast together. Fleur brought something to Ollivander and Griphook, who both couldn’t leave their beds yet. Especially Ollivander wasn’t feeling very good. Harry had told us that Voldemort had tortured him very much to get information about the Elder Wand. And in the end, Ollivander had told him everything he knew…

During breakfast, we talked about everything, but not what happened. To my surprise, Luna and Dean refused to talk about where we found them and what happened. While doing that, they both looked at Harry and I knew that my godson was responsible for this. He really wanted to keep everything secret. And at the same time, I knew that Ollivander and Griphook wouldn’t talk as well.

Poor Bill and Fleur. Having so many people around, who all refused to talk. I knew that they wanted to send Luna, Dean and Ollivander away soon, the space at Shell Cottage was too limited for so many people. And Dobby surely would join Aberforth again, seeing if he could do anything else for the Order. Bill and Fleur also mentioned sending Griphook to other members of the Order, but at that, Harry refused immediately, telling them that we needed the Goblin.

Bill and Fleur didn’t look thrilled, but they accepted Harry’s decision without arguing. So they already knew that we were planning something. And from the looks of it, they weren’t happy about it.

After breakfast, Luna and Dean helped Bill and Fleur in the kitchen while we went outside to join Dobby. And there, we would be able to talk without being interrupted. Or without anyone trying to listen. It wouldn’t surprise me if Bill would try to overhear our conversations. The others seemed to think so too since no one argued when I voiced my thoughts.

Harry went to Dobby immediately, while Ron, Hermione and I stopped a few feet away from them. I wrapped my arms around Hermione’s waist, and she leaned her head against my chest. I couldn’t see her face, but I felt her relax in my arms. Ron looked at us and smiled shyly. I knew that it was because of me, probably he still expected that I’d lecture him for leaving Harry and Hermione alone.

“Don’t look at me like that.” I said quietly, not wanting to disturb Harry and Dobby who were talking softly now. When Ron looked at me questioningly, I smiled slightly. “I won’t bite you.”

At this, Ron swallowed and crossed his arms. “You’re mad at me for leaving.” He stated and in my arms, Hermione tensed again.

I nodded. “That’s true. But since I assume that you won’t do it again, we don’t have to talk about it.”

Ron sighed. “It was one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made.” He muttered darkly. “And I’m sorry.” While saying this, he looked from me to Hermione.

“You already apologized.” She said softly. “And it’s fine.”

“I don’t think that I’ll ever see it like this.” Ron whispered, but he didn’t say anything else.

We stayed there and watched Harry with Dobby a little longer, until Harry gestured for us to join them. Dobby bowed when he sat down in the sand next to them.

“It’s good to see you again.” The elf said to all of us and smiled widely. “I hope you are all fine.”

Hermione smiled at him. “We are. Thanks to you, Dobby. Sirius told us that you found us.”

The elf beamed at her. “Without Sirius Black, Dobby would have never been able to help you.” He said and bowed again. However, his eyes were shining with happiness. “Dobby is always happy when he can help. Especially when he can help Harry Potter and his friends.”

“And I am grateful that you helped me to find them.” I said and bowed my head.

“Dobby just did as he was asked.” Dobby muttered and shook his head. “Aberforth said that Harry Potter and his friends were in trouble and needed to be found. So that’s what I did.”

“Dobby will join Aberforth again soon.” Harry said and next to him, the elf nodded. “To see if his help is needed again. Perhaps even at Hogwarts.” I wondered why he mentioned Hogwarts and raised an eyebrow, but Harry shook his head slightly. I doubted that the others had noticed it, and I winked at Harry to tell him that I understood. He wanted to talk about it later, probably alone.

“And we are talking to Griphook again later.” Ron said and looked at Harry questioningly.

Harry nodded. “I’ve already got a plan.” He smiled at Dobby. “Would you leave us alone for some time? We’ll join you again later in the house.”

Dobby nodded and vanished with a  _pop_ . 

“We have to be careful. It’s not easy to work together with Goblins.” I said once we all sat down in a small circle and made sure that no one was close by.

“You already mentioned this last evening.” Harry nodded.

“And he’s right.” Hermione added. “If you would have paid attention in History of Magic, you would know that all alliances between Wizards and Goblins tended to end in disaster. Sometimes, a huge fight could be prevented, but that rarely was the case. It’s because the Goblin’s never do anything without payment. A payment they find acceptable.” She looked at Harry meaningfully and he exchanged a glance with me.

“The sword.” Harry repeated what I’d told them last night.

I nodded. “He’ll want to keep it. However, from what you’ve told me, I fear that we’ll need it again. To destroy the Horcrux in the vault and the others. Because then there will be two more left.”

“Two more and we don’t know what they are.” Ron added.

“But we have an idea for at least one.” Hermione threw in. “The snake.”

“Nagini.” Harry muttered and nodded. “I’m sure that she’s one of them.”

“And the last one?” Ron asked and I could hear the doubts in his voice.

“We’ll think about that after we found the one in the vault.” Harry said sternly and to my surprise, Ron didn’t argue. Apparently, he’d accepted that we couldn’t plan everything now.

No one mentioned that we weren’t completely sure that there really was a Horcrux in the vault of the Lestrange family.

“We have to tell him that he can have the sword.” Harry muttered and ran a hand through his hair. “Otherwise, Griphook will never help us.”

“But he can’t have it.” Hermione said in a concerned tone.

“We don’t have to tell him when he can have the sword.” I said slowly and they all looked at me. “I’ve thought about it this morning. We tell Griphook that he can have it. And it’s true, after all the Horcruxes are destroyed. “

“That’s not a fair deal.” Hermione looked at me accusingly, but Harry and Ron grinned.

“Brilliant!” Ron exclaimed.

“This could really work.” Harry agreed.

“Men can be so stupid.” Hermione muttered and crossed her arms. “But fine, if you all think that this is such a good idea.”

I sighed. “Do you have a better idea, Hermione?”

After a few moments of hesitation, she groaned. “No, sadly I don’t.”

“So this is settled.” Harry said loudly. “We’ll tell him that he can have the sword, but not when he can have it.”

We all nodded.

“Then we need a plan how we can get into Gringotts without being noticed.”

We all thought about it for some time.

“I found a hair on my pullover.” Hermione said suddenly and we looked at her questioningly. “It’s not my own. It’s long and black.”

I froze and stared at her wide-eyed. It felt like all the fear and tension from the past day came crashing down on me again. “Bellatrix?”

Hermione nodded silently.

“And why should that be important?” Ron asked.

“I still have Polyjuice Potion.” She continued.

“No!” I said immediately and made them all flinch. “I won’t let you do that.”

“But Sirius, we also have her wand. And she can get into that vault without being questioned.” She explained and the look on Harry’s face told me that he really considered this.

“It’s too dangerous. I won’t let you take such a risk again.”

She sighed. “But you will let Harry go in there? For him, it’s far riskier.”

“They nearly killed you, Hermione.” I insisted.

“And you nearly died at the Ministry.” She shot back. “We need a plan, Sirius. And this might be our best chance. I know that this is dangerous. But our lives have been like this for years. This might be a chance to end all this. When we succeed, we’re one step closer to getting rid of him forever.”

I looked at Harry. “You think this is a good idea?”

Harry nodded. “I’m sorry Sirius, but I agree with Hermione.”

Next to Harry, Ron also held his thumbs up.

Hermione took my hands and squeezed them. “I won’t go in there alone, you don’t have to worry.” She looked at Ron and smiled widely.

Ron swallowed. “Oh I know this look. And it’s never good. What do you want to do with me?”

“Maybe long hair and a beard would suit you.” Hermione said simply and Harry laughed.

“You think no one will recognize him?”

She shook her head. “Not when I’m done with him. “

“What about me?” I asked. “Harry will take the Invisibility Cloak, but what will I do?”

“I still have your cloak.” Hermione explained and I thought of her small handbag.

I nodded slowly. “All right. And Griphook?”

“Maybe we’ll just ask him about it.” Harry said and stood up. “I don’t think that we can plan this in a few days. And we should better start now, we don’t have much time left now that he’s got the Elder Wand.”

We all followed him inside slowly. Right before we entered the house, Hermione held me back.

I raised my eyebrows at her.

“Before we go to see Griphook, I want to have a look at your arm.” She whispered and looked at me with a concerned expression. “You’re in pain.”

First, I wanted to deny it, but her eyes narrowed and I knew that she wouldn’t believe me. So I nodded. “It’s bearable, you don’t have to do this. You still need to recover from your injuries, love.”

At this, her expression softened. “I’m worried for you. And I don’t want it to get worse. I’ve still got some of the essence of Dittany in my bag. I won’t even have to use magic.”

“All right.” I agreed and touched her cheek carefully. At the touch, she closed her eyes. Then I leaned in to kiss her.

This time, it wasn’t just a short touch of the lips. Hermione wrapped her arms around my shoulders and pulled me closer. I didn’t know how long we just stood there and kissed each other, but I didn’t care as well. When we finally parted, we were both breathing heavily.

“I’ve missed you so much.” Hermione whispered and hid her face on my neck.

“I’ve missed you too, love. More than you can imagine.” I muttered and held her tightly.

* * *

We spent the next days planning everything with Griphook and only left his room for meals or sleep. Dobby left two days after our arrival, not after promising Harry and Hermione many times that he’d be careful.

About a week after our arrival at Shell Cottage, there was an unexpected visitor. We just finished dinner when someone knocked at the door.

It was Remus, and he was smiling widely. His smile turned into a grin when he saw me and the others. “You’re all right!” He muttered and to my surprise, he hugged me tightly. “Don’t scare me like this again, Sirius. You can’t just vanish without telling me where you’re going.”

I smiled at him. “I had to help them, Moony.” I said simply.

For a moment, I thought that I saw sadness in Remus’ eyes, but it vanished very fast. “Of course you did, Padfoot.”

“Why are you here?” I asked to change the subject. “I suppose not just to see us? You look so happy, is Tonks alright?”

He grinned and nodded. “The baby’s a boy.” He announced loudly and all around us, the others started to cheer. “We’ve named him Ted, after Dora’s father!”

I hugged Remus again and made space for the others. However, he pulled me and Harry closer again. “Of course you’ll be his uncle, Sirius. After all, you’re like a brother to me. And Harry, will you be the godfather?”

We both stared at Remus wide-eyed. “Me?” Harry stammered.

“Yes, Dora quite agrees, we couldn’t think of anyone better.” Remus assured him and Harry stared at him for a few more seconds before he muttered something in agreement.

I couldn’t stop myself from grinning widely and wrapped my arms around Hermione. She was also smiling happily. “Uncle Sirius.” She whispered into my ear and I chuckled.

“And godfather Harry.” I grinned when he joined us.

All around us people were talking now, and Bill even brought a bottle of wine. In this moment, all the trouble and danger of the past months could nearly be forgotten.

Remus was telling stories about the young Ted – Teddy – now and we all listened to them eagerly. However, Remus didn’t have too much time. He had to get back to Tonks and their son soon.

Right before he wanted to leave, he took me aside. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Bill and Harry vanishing in the kitchen together, but there was nothing I could do about this in that moment. I wondered what Bill wanted to tell Harry, and I made a mental note to ask him later.

“I’m so glad you’re all right.” Remus said now. His happy expression had been replaced by a troubled one. “I was worried like hell. And Dora too.”

I sighed. “You wouldn’t have let me go alone. And Tonks needs you. I couldn’t let you risk your life like that.”

“That’s right, I would have insisted to go with you.” Remus muttered. “I would have been able to help.”

“We’re all fine.” I assured him.

“Now, but the message Bill sent us said that you and Hermione were injured.” I could see the concern in his eyes. “You’re planning something, I can see that. I won’t ask what it is, but I want you all to be careful, Padfoot.”

I nodded seriously. “We’ll try not to do anything too risky.”

He sighed. “Do what you have to do. But my boy will get to know his uncle and godfather. I will not tell him that they fell in the war. Understood?”

Again, I nodded. “And you’ll be careful as well. Your son needs you.” I paused for a few seconds. “Don’t leave him alone in this world. You must be there for your family. And that only works when you’re alive.”

Remus smiled slightly. “We’ll see each other again soon, Padfoot.” He whispered and hugged me again.

“Of course we will, Moony.” I agreed.


	71. Chapter 71

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

Later that evening, we were all sitting or lying on our beds in the small chamber. Ron looked like he was going to be asleep soon, while Harry was staring at the ceiling thoughtfully and Hermione was skipping through  _the Tales of Beedle the Bard_ . 

My conversation with Moony was still on my mind. The concerned look on his face made me worry as well. Was our plan to get into Gringotts too risky? Nevertheless, we didn’t have a choice. If there really was a Horcrux in there, we had to get and destroy it. Otherwise, no one would survive this war. And that’s what it was all about.

Ending the war. Killing Voldemort. Saving the world.

_Do what you have to do. But my boy will get to know his uncle and godfather. I will not tell him that they fell in the war. Understood?_ Remus’ voice echoed through my mind. I always knew that he wanted us to be careful, but now things were different. I knew that Remus wanted to make sure someone could look after Teddy if something happened to Tonks or himself. And he wanted it to be Harry or me. The responsibility his words placed on me was weighing heavily on my shoulders. 

And I didn’t like the fact that Remus thought something might happen to him or Tonks at all. If there was going to be a final battle against the Death Eaters, which was to be expected, they would fight with the Order. And risk their lives. I hated that everyone I loved would be in danger.

But was it any different right now? Remus had been on missions for the Order in the past months, and Harry, Ron and Hermione…

Suddenly, someone took my hand and squeezed it. I looked up to see Hermione’s worried expression. She’d put the book aside and was kneeling in front of me now. She didn’t say anything, but just raised her eyebrows slowly.

I shook my head and smiled slightly to show her that everything was alright. When she narrowed her eyes, I knew that I couldn’t fool her.

To avoid a conversation about my feelings, I turned to Harry, who was still awake. “Bill wanted to talk to you alone earlier.” I remarked quietly and Harry sat up in his bed. He blinked a few times, before he realized that I’d really been addressing him.

“What did he want?” Hermione asked immediately, though her glance told me that I couldn’t avoid the subject forever.

“Oh not much. Just warn me that we shouldn’t make a deal with goblins.” Harry murmured. “He said that for goblins, the rightful owner of an object is the one who made it, not the one who bought it. He said we shouldn’t promise Griphook anything, it’s too dangerous.” He laughed dryly. “He said it wouldn’t be as risky to break into Gringotts than to promise something to a goblin.”

“So nothing we didn’t already know.” Ron muttered from his bed. His eyes were still closed, and he looked more asleep than anything else, but apparently, he’d listened to our conversation.

“Not really.” Harry agreed.

“And he just took you aside to tell you that?” Hermione wanted to know.

Harry nodded. “I don’t really know if he expected us to trust Griphook.”

“Not with Sirius around.” Ron groaned when he sat up to look at us. He yawned. “Everyone knows that Sirius doesn’t trust anyone except for us and Remus.”

I raised my eyebrows at him. “How do you know that?”

“I heard Bill and Kingsley talk about you when I was here for Christmas. They thought I was still asleep and when I heard your name, I just had to know what they were saying.” He shrugged. “Kingsley was upset that you didn’t tell them what we were doing this whole time. And then Bill said that he’d already expected you to remain silent. After all, you never gave away any secrets. And you didn’t really trust anyone who’s not very close to you. Which meant no one except for Remus and us.”

“Bill’s very observant.” Hermione noticed. “Did you see him often when you were at Remus’ place?”

I shook my head. “Not really. Mostly, the three of us were alone. And Kingsley showed up from time to time.” I smiled slightly. “To convince me that it would be better if I told the Order everything about our mission.”

“I thought they gave up that idea before the wedding.” Harry remarked.

“Since we were separated, they thought that it would be easier to help you if they knew everything.” I explained. “Everyone was looking for sings of you in those past months.”

“Without success.” Ron muttered. “Without the Deluminator, even I wouldn’t have been able to find you.”

“Which is good.” I stressed. “Otherwise, the Death Eaters could have found you as well.” Even if I didn’t like it, I had to admit that it was better that no one had been able to find them in the past months.

“Dobby found us.” Harry threw in.

“The magic of house-elves works differently.” Hermione explained immediately. “So it wasn’t a surprise that he could find us, once someone asked him to do so.”

“But then others could have found us as well.” Harry said thoughtfully.

“You-Know-Who would never ask house-elves to look for you.” I ran a hand through my hair. It was still strange that it was short now. “He doesn’t take other magical creatures seriously.”

“Point for us, then.” Ron grinned. “After all, he helped us to escape.”

“And Sirius.” Hermione added immediately.

I laughed. “Dobby insisted for me to help. I bet he could have done that alone as well.”

“I’m not so sure about that.” Harry muttered. “Remember our second year at Hogwarts, when Dobby tried to help me?”

For some time, they were lost in memories of their time at Hogwarts. Even if I’d heard parts of it before, they told me everything about Dobby’s attempts to save Harry. In the end, we were all laughing. For now, some of the tension was lifted.

However, when we all closed our eyes to get some sleep, I knew that it wouldn’t last long.

* * *

Two days later, I found myself sitting in the grass outside of the house alone. I looked at the waves of the ocean and enjoyed the wind in my face. It was going to rain soon, but I didn’t care. After all this time in the house, I needed some time for myself.

It was good to have everyone around, but slowly it was getting tiring. Luna, Dean and Ollivander were going to leave in a few days, and most probably, we would leave in about a week’s time. Then Bill and Fleur would be alone again. I bet they liked that thought, even if they would never admit it. Sometimes, when they thought that they were alone, I could hear Bill and Fleur talking. Then she always complained about having so many people there and how exhausting everything was. Every time, Bill tried to calm her down, but I knew that it wasn’t that easy.

I closed my eyes and let my thoughts drift back to the past days of planning with Griphook. It was true, he wanted the sword of Gryffindor. Harry told him that he could have it, but not when. It was a dangerous game; we all knew that. However, we didn’t have another possibility. We needed Griphook and his help.

The worst part of our plan was Hermione turning into Bellatrix. The thought alone made me want to throw up. And I knew that Harry and Ron didn’t like it as well. Nevertheless, they could at least accept it, while I had to use every inch of self-control not to argue with her again. Because we had been arguing, when she first offered to do it. Ever since, we didn’t talk about it anymore. And every time she tried to be alone with me, I left.

I knew that I was acting stupid, but I didn’t want to face that topic again. Or everything else she wanted to talk about. Because this was all about feelings and I’ve been locking them away in those past months.

Yes, I was happy and relieved to have them all back, but there was still fear. After all, I knew how it felt to lose them now. And there was a big risk that not all of us survived this war.

Knowing that it would only make me feel worse if I kept thinking about it, I stood up and walked towards the ocean slowly. James would have loved it here, I knew that. He’d always loved the ocean, even if he didn’t get many chances to see it.

And I got too many chances to hear the waves crashing down on the shores of Azkaban. However, this was different. I was free now. The bad memories didn’t come back so easily. Unlike the first time I heard the waves, back when I was on the run with Buckbeak. It had been terrifying, and I avoided the sea for some time after that.

I thought of James again. Of the last time I’ve seen him, together with Lily and Harry. Even if everything had been difficult and dangerous back then, they’ve been happy. Harry looked like James, except for the eyes. He had Lily’s eyes.

I swallowed and tried to push aside how much I missed them.

At least I still had Remus. And he had a family now on his own. Uncle Sirius and godfather Harry. It sounded so strange. I never thought that I would get a chance to have a real family. Except for being Harry’s godfather, of course. And here we were, even in those dark times.

Because of the wind, I heard the footsteps behind my back only when they’d nearly reached me. A look over my shoulder told me that it was Hermione. She was smiling, but there was an anxious look on her face.

She stopped next to me and for some time, we both just watched the waves in silence.

“You’ve been out here for quite some time and I was getting worried.” Hermione said finally. “I’ve never seen you this quiet before, and I would love to know what’s wrong.”

I looked at her concerned face and smiled slightly. “Everything’s fine.” As soon as I said it, her eyes narrowed. “All right, maybe there’s a lot on my mind. But otherwise, it’s really fine.”

“Will you tell me what’s bothering you? Maybe it’ll make it easier.” She took my hand carefully.

“I’m just worried, like everyone else.” Maybe not just worried, but how else could I explain it?

“If you were just worried like the rest of us, you’d not be this quiet. I know you, Sirius. And even Harry and Ron noticed that you’re behaving differently ever since we came here.” She was looking impatient now. Hermione hated riddles she couldn’t solve.

I sighed and sat down in the grass. With a frown on her face, Hermione did the same. “Sirius?” She asked when I didn’t answer her questions right away. “You can tell me everything. Especially when something’s wrong.”

“I thought I lost you.” I muttered. “For months, I didn’t hear a single word from all of you. And now that I’ve got you back, it made me think of what I must do to make sure that it won’t happen again. Because I know that I can’t stand it a second time.” Her eyes were wide now, but she didn’t say anything. “The realization that I can’t do anything about it hit me a few days ago, when Remus was here.”

“It won’t happen again. This time, we’ll all stay together.” Hermione tried to ensure me immediately, but we both knew that it was a lie. No one could know what might happen.

“Remus wants Harry and me to look after Teddy when something happens to him and Tonks.” I told her and avoided to meet her sad gaze.

“So that’s what made you so upset.” She whispered. “Before Remus was here, everything seemed to be all right.”

I nodded. “Remus and Tonks will also fight in this war. Just like everyone else we know. And we will lose people again.” I breathed in deeply. “I’ve lost so many people in my life, you should think that it gets easier. But it doesn’t.”

To my surprise, Hermione wrapped her arms around my shoulders and hugged me tightly. “We’ll win this war.” Her tone made it clear that she really believed it.

I kissed her cheek. “I trust Harry.” I agreed. “But at what costs?”

“You can’t change anything, Sirius. We’re all part of this fight. And we all make our own decisions, even if some of us might not make it.” Her voice was soft now, but it was shaking slightly. I knew that it also wasn’t easy for her or the others. “Back at the Ministry, you also made a choice. You gave us the chance to escape, even if you could lose your life.”

I smiled slightly. “It’s not fair to argue like this.”

She chuckled. “Somehow, I’ve got to convince you that not everything’s your fault.” She sighed. “In this point, you’re just like Harry. He also wants to take the responsibility for everything that happens.”

I sighed. “James was also like this. Always thinking that he was responsible for everything and everyone. Probably it rubbed off on me.” I tried to joke, but she remained serious.

“Most likely.” She muttered and closed her eyes. “We should get inside again soon, the others want to go on planning. And we can’t do it without you.”

“I think they can continue without us.” I muttered, not wanting to go back yet.

“You know that it’s not true. From all of us, you know the most about Bellatrix. And it’s essential to get inside.”

I groaned. “I hate this plan.” I complained again, but only half-heartedly. I’ve given up the fight days ago.

“Come on, let’s get back.” Hermione stood up and held out her hand. With a sigh, I stood up and took it. We went back towards the house slowly when I heard something. The wind was still loud in my ears, but I could still hear more than most others. So I noticed the quiet _pop_ , even if Hermione didn’t. 

And that’s also why I saw the figure not too far away from us and the house first. With a curse, I stopped Hermione and drew my wand. “Stay here.” I barked and walked towards the person quickly.

I heard Hermione’s protests behind my back, but I ignored them. I knew that she was following me, but there was a distance between us. Enough to let me reach the person first. It was a man and he was wearing a long, dark cloak.

When I got closer, I saw Kingsley’s face. His eyes widened in surprise when he recognized me, but then my wand was already at his chest. Knowing the procedure, he didn’t say a word. But I noticed that his wand was on my chest as well. I raised my eyebrows silently.

“The last words you said to me.” I said calmly and his lips twitched.

“I’m sorry, Sirius. But I think you’re in this alone.” He repeated his last words before I left Remus’ place with Dobby. I nodded but didn’t lower my wand. After all, he was still threatening me.

“One evening, we were talking about fate and the future. You told me something I didn’t like at all.” Kingsley said now and I knew exactly what he meant. One night, he’d visited us at Remus’ place. We’ve been talking for hours, but Tonks wasn’t feeling well, so Remus went upstairs with her, which left Kingsley and me alone. Then he’d changed the subject immediately, wanting to talk about Harry and the others alone.

“I told you that you could do absolutely nothing to help Harry and the others. And that you could ask as often as you want, but I wouldn’t tell you anything.” I smiled slightly. “But what you didn’t like in the slightest was that I would sacrifice my life for them without thinking twice. Because no one needs me, and I wouldn’t be missed for a long time.” My last words were barely a whisper and I hoped that Hermione didn’t hear us. However, the sharp intake of breath behind my back told me otherwise.

Finally, we both put down our wands and hugged each other. “It’s good to see you, Sirius.” Kingsley grinned and turned to Hermione, who was still looking at us wide-eyed. Or looking at  _me_ , to be more exact. She forced a smile on her lips when she greeted Kingsley. 

From the house, I could hear voices, and soon Harry and Bill had joined us. They also greeted Kingsley and together, we went inside. Hermione and I entered the house last and I stopped her before we could join the others in the living area. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to hear that.” I whispered.

“You know that it’s not true.” She muttered, avoiding looking me in the eyes. “Harry would miss you. And Remus. And I would miss you too.”

I took her face in my hands and forced her to look at me. “I know, love. But back then, I’ve had a really bad time.” I tried to explain it. “You were gone, and we knew absolutely nothing, and it was driving me crazy.”

“You would give your life to save us again.” She said after looking at me for a few moments in silence. It wasn’t a question.

I sighed and kissed her quickly. I would have loved to have more time with her, but in a house full of people, it was impossible. “Let’s not think about that.” I took her hand and led her to the others, who were already sitting. Fleur was just bringing tea, but Kingsley declined politely.

“I won’t stay here for long, I just came to tell you some news.” He explained.

“What news?” I asked immediately and sat down on the couch next to Harry.

“Something happened, didn’t it?” Harry asked slowly.

“A few members of the Order vanished last night.” Kingsley told us.

“Someone we know?” Hermione asked anxiously and I squeezed her hand. The others were looking alarmed as well.

“Elphias Doge is on the run.” Kingsley began. “He’s been able to escape when the Death Eaters showed up at his home, a neighbor saw it.” Next to me, Harry relaxed. “However, we don’t know about a few others.” He told us the names, however I didn’t know any of them personally. Only Bill knew a young man, Sam Blackwell. They’d worked together a few years ago, right before the Triwizard Tournament.

“And no one can contact Mundungus anymore.” Kingsley finished his explanations.

“I thought he vanished months ago.” I threw in, remembering my encounter with him at the pub. And then Harry’s departure from Number Four, Privet Drive.

“He did, but until recently, someone saw him from time to time. Now it seems like he’s gone completely.” Kingsley said.

“Doesn’t have to mean anything.” I muttered. “Vanishing is one of his talents.”

Next to me, Harry nodded darkly.

Kingsley sighed. “We all know that, but it’s disturbing either way.”

“Probably he’s hiding in some dirty hole.” Bill muttered. “He’ll show up again when everything’s over.”

“Don’t worry about him too much.” Harry agreed.

“We’ll keep looking for him.” Kingsley said when he stood up. Bill accompanied him outside, while we stayed in the living room, thinking of those who vanished.

After a few minutes, Harry looked at us questioningly and we all stood up to go on planning with Griphook. We needed to act fast now.

* * *

About a week later, we decided that we were ready for our trip to Gringotts. Hermione would go as Bellatrix Lestrange (after she drank the Polyjuice Potion, I couldn’t look at her anymore), Ron would be a foreign Death Eater accompanying her, and Harry would hide under his Invisibility Cloak with Griphook. I would take my own cloak.

Of course everything ended in disaster. We got in, were identified as thieves, Griphook betrayed us and took the sword, and we had to escape on a dragon. However, we were able to get the Horcrux right before we left the vault.

But how could we destroy it without the sword of Gryffindor?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I didn't want to write their trip to Gringotts. I think we all know what happened there, so I skipped it.


	72. Chapter 72

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

“He knows it.” Harry whispered, his voice very quiet. “He knows it, and now he’ll check if the others are still there, and the last one is in Hogwarts. I knew it. I _knew_ it!” 

We all watched Harry silently, who was walking around now. After we’d taken care of our injuries, we had looked at the next Horcrux, Hufflepuff’s cup. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the sword of Gryffindor anymore, which meant that it was impossible to destroy the Horcrux now. Suddenly, Harry had this absent-minded look on his face and I just knew that he was looking in Voldemort’s mind again. Since my godson paled, I knew that he’d seen something horrible. His words confirmed that now.

“What?” Ron asked, confused by Harry’s sudden change of behavior. Next to me, Hermione was looking at him with concern.

“What did you see? How do you know where it is?” Hermione asked slowly, even if we already knew the answer.

“He knows, doesn’t he?” I raised my eyebrows. “About Gringotts and the cup.”

Harry nodded. “I was in his head again.” He muttered. “He’s incredibly angry, but he’s also afraid since he can’t understand how we know about the Horcruxes. Now he wants to check if the others are safe, starting with the ring. He thinks the one in Hogwarts is safest, because Snape’s there and it won’t be easy to get in without being noticed. I think he wants to look at that one last, but he could still be there within a few hours –“ Harry sounded troubled and I put my hand on his shoulder to calm him down. He looked at me gratefully, but I noticed that he was shivering.

“Did you see where in Hogwarts the Horcrux is hidden?” Ron asked and stood up as well.

Harry shook his head. “No, he was just thinking of warning Snape that we’ll come, he didn’t think of where exactly it is –“

Harry began to pull the Invisibility Cloak from his pocket, while Ron grabbed the Horcrux, which was still lying on the ground. I held out a hand to Hermione and she grabbed it.

“Wait, _wait_!” She shouted when she realized what Harry and Ron were doing. “We can’t just go now, without a plan, we need to –“ 

“We have to leave.” Harry interrupted her determinedly. “What do you think he’ll do once he notices that the ring and the locket are gone? What if he gets the last Horcrux out of Hogwarts and out of reach for us, when he thinks that it isn’t safe?” Harry breathed in deeply. “And honestly, Hermione, when did a plan of ours ever work? We go in, hell breaks loose, and we have to improvise either way.” 

At the last words, Harry was looking at me hopefully. I knew that he wanted me to say yes to leaving right away. I sighed. “Seems like we have to act fast.” I said and looked away from Hermione quickly. The disappointment on her face made me feel guilty.

“How should we get in?” Ron asked now. “All entrances to Hogwarts are sealed.”

“We’ll go to Hogsmeade.” Harry decided. “And then we’ll think of something. Maybe we can find out how the castle is protected, and then we can figure something out.”

“Or we go to the Hog’s Head Inn right away.” I threw in, remembering something Kingsley had told me once.

They all frowned at me. “Why should we go there?” Harry asked incredulously. “From there, I’m sure we’ll never get in.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. “It would be helpful if you let Sirius speak first.” She snapped.

“We’re all under lots of pressure. Especially Harry.” I threw in quickly, to avoid an argument. “Kingsley told me once that it’s the only way to get in for us.” I explained. “The other entrances are sealed. The owner is one of us. He’s part of the Order.”

“You mentioned him before. He sent Dobby, didn’t he?” Ron asked curiously.

I nodded.

“Back when we met there in our fifth year, he didn’t talk very much. He is really part of the Order?”

“Don’t look so suspicious. You can trust Aberforth, after all, he saved your life before.”

“His name’s Aberforth?” Hermione raised her eyebrows. “Aberforth Dumbledore?”

“Yes.” I agreed simply, not knowing what to say. They didn’t know that Albus’ brother lives in Hogsmeade?

“Dumbledore’s brother?” Harry asked and his voice sounded hoarse. “He’s at Hogsmeade? So close by?”

There was anger in Harry’s voice, which surprised me at first. But then I remembered what Hermione told me a few weeks ago. That Harry has read part of Rita Skeeters book. And that he was hurt because Albus didn’t tell him about the Deathly Hallows.

“Everything Albus didn’t tell you had a good reason, I’m sure of that.” I told Harry. “We can’t hold on old grudges, at least not now. I know that you don’t know what to think of Albus anymore, but he loved you.” I turned to Hermione and Ron. “We can apparate directly into the Hog’s Head Inn, I’m sure Hogsmeade is being watched by Death Eaters.”

They both didn’t look too pleased by this information, but they nodded either way. “And you’re sure that he can get us in?” Hermione asked.

I nodded. “If nothing happened in the meantime, it’s our best chance.” I turned to Harry. “You should stay under the cloak, we don’t know who’ll be there.” I hesitated. “If I think about it again, you should all stay under the cloak.”

They all started to protest loudly, but I held up my hand. “Just a small security measure.”

“We won’t let you get in trouble for us again!” Hermione protested.

“We can deal with whatever awaits us there ourselves.” Harry agreed with her immediately.

“You need to get into the castle. Especially you, Harry. And I’ll do everything to make sure that you get there safely. Now get under the goddamn Invisibility Cloak!” I nearly barked the last sentence at them. They all looked at me with wide eyes but did what I said.

“Now let’s go.” I waited until I felt three hands on my arm, before I disapparated.

* * *

It was dark in the taproom of the Hog’s Head. The tables were dusty, which meant that no one’s been here for a drink for quite some time. I turned around slowly, wand in hand and ready to attack every possible threat. Behind the bar stood a man with long, grey hair and a beard. His eyes were a piercing, brilliant blue and narrowed slightly.

“Well, if that’s not Sirius Black!” Aberforth exclaimed. “Why on earth did you apparate right into my Inn?”

I relaxed slowly and grinned at him. “The streets are a little too dangerous at the moment, don’t you think, Aberforth?”

He nodded darkly. “No one’s allowed to go out at night. They notice it right away. I think a few of them are even patrolling the streets.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Any idea what they are looking for?”

Aberforth laughed dryly. “You should know that better than anyone else, Sirius. So where’s the boy? I bet he’s hiding under his cloak, together with his friends? It was a wise decision to apparate right into this building, especially when you’re in famous company. But let me warn you, I hate it when people do this. Only this time I’ll make an exception for you.” He pointed with his finger at me. “Now come out, you must be hungry.”

Slowly, I looked over my shoulder to where I knew the others were standing. I could hear their breathing. “It’s fine, you can show yourselves.”

After a few moments of hesitation, they pulled off the cloak. Aberforth had already vanished into the kitchen to get us something to eat. “How do we know that he’s the real Aberforth?” Hermione whispered quietly and looked around uneasily.

“Did you see his eyes? They look exactly like –“ Harry stopped and swallowed.

“Dumbledore.” Hermione finished his sentence with a nod.

“So how do we know that he’s not going to call the Death Eaters now?” Ron sounded worried.

“Only a member of the Order of the Phoenix can apparate in here.” I explained and pulled out a small coin I’ve been carrying in my pocket. I grinned when their eyes widened.

“It looks like the coins we used for the DA.” Harry whispered.

I nodded. “Inspired by you.” I winked at Hermione. “It’s been Fred’s and George’s idea. I think Kingsley cast the spell upon them, can’t be easy. Impressing piece of magic here.”

“What about our coins? Are they still in use?” Hermione was still looking at it through narrowed eyes.

I shrugged. “I’m not sure. But who would throw something like that away? After all, it could still be useful someday.”

Then Aberforth came back with bread, cheese and something to drink. He put it down on a small table right in front of the fireplace and we all ate in silence.

“Why are you here?” Aberforth asked finally and raised his eyebrows. “It was stupid of you to come. But I think you already know that. Does it have something to do with the task my brother gave you?”

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other uneasily and Aberforth laughed again without humor. “Don’t look so surprised, of course I know about it. After all, we tried to make him talk for months now.” He pointed at me.

“And I never told you anything.” I added. “For a reason.”

Aberforth rolled his eyes. “I told you once that you shouldn’t do anything Albus asked you to. He could have asked anyone, so why should the task be fulfilled by three teenagers and you, Sirius?”

“Because I have to do it.” Harry threw in. “No one else can.”

“Did my brother tell you that?” When Harry nodded sternly, Aberforth sighed. “Nice mission, I hope? Enjoyable? Easy?”

“Stop it, Aberforth.” I muttered darkly. “You don’t understand anything about this.”

“You could just tell me?”

“We have to get into the castle.” I interrupted him, hoping that this conversation would end. Harry was looking tired and I could see the annoyance in his eyes. I didn’t want to let Aberforth ruin Harry’s image of Albus even more. “I’ve been told that there’s a way to get in.”

“There is. But it would be insane. Especially the boy should stay away from there. They will kill him right away.” Aberforth said coldly.

“You know that I’m an expert in insane ideas. And I’m still alive.” I replied calmly. “So now tell us how to get in.” I repeated.

For a few moments, Aberforth looked at us all silently. To my surprise, I could see the same determination I felt on the faces of Harry, Ron and Hermione.

In the end, Aberforth nodded. “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” With that, he walked towards a portrait that showed a young girl. I remembered that it was his sister, Ariana. “You know what to do.” Aberforth told the picture and Ariana nodded with a smile. Then she turned around and walked away. Not to the side, like people in portraits used to do, but through something that looked like a long tunnel. She was getting smaller, until she vanished completely.

For some time, we all sat there in silence, everyone lost in his or her own thoughts.

“What is she doing?” Ron broke the silence.

“Sirius was right when he assumed that this is the safest way to the castle.” Aberforth explained. “In fact, it is the only way. According to my informants, the old secret passages are watched from both ends and Dementors are patrolling around the school regularly. Hogwarts has never been that guarded. Not even when you escaped from Azkaban and they feared that you were coming for Harry.” He added with a look at me.

Under the table, Hermione squeezed my hand, while I exchanged a look with Harry. At the memory, his lips twitched.

“I don’t want to know what you plan once you’re inside. Just let me tell you that it won’t be easy with Snape as headmaster and the Carrows as his deputies. But from what I’ve heard so far, you’re all ready to die.” Again, his eyes were fixed on my face. Next to me, Hermione shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

Then she turned away from Aberforth and looked at the portrait of Ariana thoughtfully. “She’s coming back.” Hermione muttered.

We all turned to look at the portrait. It was true, she was coming back. And she wasn’t alone.

It took me a moment to realize who was walking next to Ariana. I heard Harry’s surprised gasp and Ron was smiling incredulously. Hermione just stared at the figures with wide eyes. Then the picture swung forward, just like a small door, and Neville Longbottom was standing in front of us.

He was looking terrible, with lots of cuts on his face and ripped clothes. However, there was a wide smile on his face. “I knew that you’d come! I knew it, Harry!”


	73. Chapter 73

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

We all stared at Neville wide-eyed and Harry stood up slowly. “Neville – what the – how -?” He muttered and shook his head in disbelief. However, he was interrupted when Neville hugged him tightly. Then Neville looked past him and saw the three of us still sitting at the table. He cried out in surprise and nearly threw himself first at Hermione and then at Ron. In the end, he even hugged me tightly.

“I knew you’d come! Kept telling Seamus it was a matter of time!” Neville declared loudly and grinned. “And you’re really alive Sirius! They kept saying that you’re dead and the Death Eaters got you in the end. But here you are!”

He beamed at us, but I couldn’t stop noticing his several injuries. What did they do to the students at Hogwarts? I saw Hermione and Harry exchanging a dark look. Apparently, they asked themselves the same question. “Neville, what’s happened to you?” Harry asked slowly.

“What? This?” Neville gestured at himself and shook his head. “This is nothing. Seamus is worse. You’ll see. Shall we get going, then?” He already turned back to the tunnel, but then he stopped. “Oh and Ab, there might be a couple more people on the way.”

“Couple more?” Aberforth repeated darkly. “What do you mean, a couple more, Longbottom? You know that I hate it when people apparate directly into my pub!”

Neville shrugged. “We contacted a few people.” He said and smiled slightly. “And you know that they must come in here, the village’s being watched. Just send them down the passage when they get here, will you? Thanks a lot.”

Aberforth crossed his arms. “How I hate this.” He muttered, but I doubted that the others heard his words.

I placed a hand on his arm. “You will get through this.” I smiled slightly before I followed the others who were already climbing on to the mantelpiece to get into the secret passageway. Behind me, Aberforth muttered darkly, but I decided to ignore it.

The passageway was narrow, and we couldn’t walk next to each other. I was at the end of the group, directly behind Hermione. I noticed that the passageway looked really old and asked myself why I didn’t know it. No one had known Hogwarts better than the Marauders.

The others seemed to ask themselves the same question. “How long has this been here?” Ron asked and looked over his shoulder questioningly. “It isn’t on your map, Sirius. I thought there were only seven passages in and out of school.”

“This isn’t on the map.” I agreed. “I also didn’t know it.”

“Because it hasn’t been there before.” Neville explained shortly. “You’ll understand it soon.” He turned around while he was still walking and raised his eyebrows. “But enough of that. Is it true? Did you break into Gringotts? Did you escape on a dragon? It’s everywhere, everyone’s talking about it. Terry Boot got beaten up by Carrow for yelling about it in the Great Hall at dinner!”

“Yeah, it’s true.” Harry confirmed.

Neville laughed. “What did you do with the dragon?”

“Released it into the wild.” Ron said. “Hermione was all for keeping it as a pet –“

“Don’t exaggerate, Ron.” Hermione muttered and somehow, I knew that she rolled her eyes now.

“Someone will have to deal with it soon.” I threw in. “But we had more important things on our minds than a dragon.”

Again, Neville laughed. “That’s great! So what have you been doing? People say that you’ve just been on the run, but I don’t think so. I think you’ve been up to something. And how are you even still alive, Sirius?”

“It’s a rather long story.” I muttered.

“You’re right, we’ve been up to something.” Harry threw in quickly and saved me from more questions. I wouldn’t have answered them either way. After all, we didn’t know how much the students at Hogwarts knew about our trip to the Ministry. “But tell us about Hogwarts, Neville. We haven’t heard anything except for the fact that Snape’s headmaster now.”

Neville sighed deeply. “It’s not like the Hogwarts we knew anymore. Do you know about the Carrows?”

“Those two Death Eaters who teach here?”

The next minutes, Neville kept explaining how the Death Eaters were controlling the school now. It was terrible to know what was going on and not being able to do anything. I would have loved to curse them all right now. However, that wasn’t possible. We had to be careful, Hogwarts was dangerous territory. Especially since Snape was there.

When we finally arrived at our destination, I was starting to get nervous. I already had an idea of where we were, but not what was waiting for us there. And of course we needed a plan, we couldn’t just run through the school and search for the Horcrux. Unfortunately, we didn’t really have a plan and I just couldn’t figure out a way how to continue now. 

Suddenly, the others in front of me stopped and I nearly ran into Hermione. She raised her eyebrows questioningly but didn’t say anything. Instead, she just took my hand and squeezed it. I knew that she was just as nervous as I was. I could see the storm in her eyes. She hated headless actions like this.

I looked past the others to see that we’ve arrived at a small door. Neville was just walking through it while the others hesitated. I could hear many voices in the room and some of them were vaguely familiar. However, I couldn’t make out words since so many people were talking at a time.

“Look who it is! Didn’t I tell you?” Neville shouted now and the other people fell silent. Harry seemed to see this as his sign to go on because he stepped through the door and stopped next to Neville. We followed them more slowly.

“HARRY!”

“It’s Potter!”

“Ron!”

“Hermione!”

“And Sirius Black!”

I looked around in the room and barely noticed that many people were running towards us now and started to hug Harry, Ron and Hermione. They kept a distance from me, but I didn’t mind. The room was big, and I didn’t know it, which surprised me. I glanced at Neville who was standing next to me now. “The Room of Requirement?” I guessed.

He nodded. “Yeah, how did you figure that out?”

I smiled slightly. “There are only few people who know this castle better than we did.”

“This was the only place I could go to when they came after me.” Neville explained while the others were talking to a few students. “The Death Eaters can’t get in. And the passageway to the Hog’s Head helped us to get food and stuff.”

“Brilliant.” I muttered and looked around again. Now Neville took a step forward.

“Ok, calm down!” He called and slowly, the conversations ended, and it was silent again. All eyes were fixed on us now. In most of them shone excitement. It was obvious that they thought that we were going to free Hogwarts from the Death Eaters now. I glanced at Neville again. “You contacted the Order, didn’t you?” I whispered quietly so that only Harry, Ron and Hermione could hear us.

Neville shook his head. “The DA.”

Hermione’s eyes widened at this. “How did you do that?”

Neville grinned. “The coins are still working.” Now he turned to me again. “I think Fred and George contacted the Order. At least I hope so. We could use much help here.”

I exchanged looks with the others and in the end, Harry nodded. Even if he didn’t look very happy about all this. My godson always hated it when others risked their lives for him.

“Tell us what you’ve been up to, there’ve been so many rumors, we’ve been trying to keep up with you on _Potterwatch_.” A young man said now, his eyes fixed on Harry. “You didn’t break into Gringotts?” 

“They did!” Neville declared loudly. “And the dragon’s true too!”

Suddenly, there was applause and some people even whistled. Ron bowed with a grin on his lips.

“What were you after?” Someone else asked, I thought his name was Seamus.

Suddenly, Harry grimaced and stumbled. He touched his scar and would have fallen to the ground if Ron and I wouldn’t have reacted to fast. We took hold of his arms and kept him upright. In Ron’s eyes I could see the same concern I felt. I’ve been waiting for this ever since we came here. Voldemort was checking the Horcruxes now and in this moment, he must have found out that one was missing. And since their connection was unstable now, Harry could see it very clearly. I wondered which Horcrux it was and how much time was left, but I didn’t dare to ask. Not here in front of so many people.

Harry breathed in deeply and when his expression turned calm again, we let go of his arms carefully. I glanced at Hermione next to me and saw that she was frowning.

“Are you alright, Harry?” Neville asked, concern evident in his voice. “Want to sit down? I expect you’re tired –“

“No, it’s fine.” Harry threw in quickly and looked at us. From the look on his face I could tell that Voldemort had really just discovered the loss of a Horcrux. “We need to get going.” He said quietly and I nodded.

“What are we going to do, then, Harry?” Seamus asked. “What’s the plan?”

“Plan?” Harry asked, obviously confused by the question. Didn’t he expect that the others would want to help us? “Well, there’s something we – Ron, Hermione, Sirius and I – need to do, and then we’ll get out of here.”

I exchanged a look with Hermione, and she grimaced. We wouldn’t leave this room without the help of the DA, that was obvious. I just hoped that Harry would accept this fast. The discussion about out plan started, but I wasn’t really listening. I pulled Hermione aside. “We have to accept their help.” I whispered. 

She nodded. “Otherwise, we’ll never find the Horcrux. Maybe someone knows something.”

“Possible.” I agreed. “But how are we going to do it? We can’t just run around here, four people are far too noticeable.”

Her eyes widened. “You want us to split up?” At the sight of her anxious expression, my heart broke, but I nodded sternly.

“It’s the only way. Otherwise, we’ll never find the Horcrux. Or we’ll get caught.” I explained and placed my hands on her shoulders. “I hate this just as much as you do, love.”

“Then I’m going with you.” She said immediately and I could see the determination in her eyes. There was no way I could change her mind about this, I knew that.

I glanced at the others and when I realized that they were still discussing if Dumbledore’s Army should help or not, I turned back to Hermione. “Alright, but we really need a plan before we leave here. We need to find the Horcrux and a way to destroy it. After all, we don’t have the sword anymore.”

She nodded. “I’ve also been thinking about this. And something came to my mind. Do you remember the diary? We’ve told you the story about our second year at school.” I did, but I wasn’t sure where this was heading to. “Harry stabbed it with a basilisk fang.”

And that’s when I understood. “You’re brilliant.” I whispered and kissed her quickly. “The Chamber of Secrets? But how should we get in?”

She glanced at Ron. “He said once that he can imitate Parseltongue. Apparently, Harry speaks in his sleep.”

I frowned. “This could work. But it would be a waste of forces if three people go to the Chamber of Secrets. And Harry has to look for the Horcrux.”

“I won’t go there without you!” She hissed. “There’s no way I’m letting you go again.”

I looked at her seriously. “Hermione, I would also love to have you by my side all the time. But we have to act fast and if this is really the only way, we have to do this. If Ron’s the only one who can go in there, he has to go. And I can be useful somewhere else.”

“Just a few minutes ago, you said that we’d stay together.” She muttered darkly.

“And now there’s been a change of plan.” I sighed. “We’ll meet again after this and then we’ll really stay together. I won’t let you out of sight if there’s really going to be a battle.” And that would happen, I was sure of it.

Suddenly, many people were starting to talk at once. When we turned around, we saw that more people were coming through the door of the passageway. First, I only saw Luna and Dean, but more people were following them. There were Ginny, Fred and George, Lee Jordan, and others who’ve been part of the DA two years ago.

“Aberforth’s getting a bit ratty.” Fred said with a grin. “He wants a kip, and his bar’s been turned into a railway station.”

“I think he should get used to it. More people will follow.” Another voice said and my heart seemed to stop beating in my chest. Right after the former students, Remus stepped through the door, followed by Tonks, Kingsley, Arthur and many more members of the Order. Remus smiled when he saw me. “I already thought that you’d be here. The message said it was urgent.”

He hugged me tightly and I smiled back at him. I just wanted to ask why they were here and where Teddy was, but another conversation interrupted me.

“So what’s the plan, Harry?” George asked.

“There isn’t one.” Harry muttered and kept looking around. I could see that the appearance of so many people still surprised him. And most probably, his scar was still hurting.

“Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favorite kind.” Fred said and grinned.

“You’ve got to stop this!” Harry told Neville. “What did you call them all back for? This is insane –“

“We’re fighting, aren’t we?” Dean asked and held up his galleon. “The message said Harry was back, and we’re going to fight!”

Ron turned to Harry. “Why can’t they help? I mean, so many people and the Order is here as well.”

“What?” Harry didn’t look pleased by this turn of events.

“They can help.” Ron pulled us closer and the four of us formed a small circle. I could feel the stares of many others on us. “We don’t know where it is. We’ve got to find it fast. We don’t have to tell them it’s a Horcrux.”

“Ron is right.” Hermione threw in quickly. “We don’t even know what we’re looking for, we need them.” Harry still didn’t look convinced. “You don’t have to do everything alone, Harry.” Hermione said softly and I nodded.

“Let them help. We need to split up either way. The more people we are, the bigger is our chance to find the Horcrux.” I explained quietly.

“But what is the Horcrux anyway?” Ron asked and frowned at us. “I mean, we only assume that it’s about Ravenclaw.”

“There’s a legend about some kind of diadem, but I’m not sure.” I muttered. “I’ve been thinking about it on our way here.”

“There’s an easy way to find out more about this.” Harry said. “We could just ask someone from Ravenclaw.” And with those words, he left our small circle and began to ask people about it.

I listened to the conversation silently when someone touched my arm. “A battle is going to come. You can feel it too, can’t you?” Remus asked calmly.

“Tonight, everything will be decided.” I agreed. “People will die.”

Remus nodded. “But we shouldn’t lose hope.”

I smiled slightly. “You’re always so confident, Moony.”

“Normally, you’re not full of doubts, Padfoot.”

“It was easier when I thought that I had nothing to lose.” I looked at Harry and Hermione.

“You also had much to lose back then.” Remus argued. “And yet you didn’t worry so much.”

I looked at him. “Where’s your son? And why are you here? Both of you.”

“He’s with Dora’s mother.” Remus explained, his expression still calm. But I could see the concern in his eyes. “I tried to convince Tonks to stay there too.”

“Of course she didn’t agree.” I sighed. “How could you even expect that?”

“I want her to be safe.”

“She’s grown up and makes her own decisions. She didn’t want to let you go alone.” I said thoughtfully.

“Just like you would never leave the others.” Remus threw in.

“Or you.” I added. “You’re my best friend.”

Remus smiled slightly. Our conversation ended when Harry came to us. “Luna had an idea where to look for the diadem.” He told me and smiled at Remus for half a second. “I’ll leave with her.”

“Be careful, Harry.” I warned him. “It’s dangerous in here. Don’t forget that.”

“You too, Sirius. And look after Hermione and Ron.” With those words, he vanished in the crowd, followed by Luna.

Remus raised his eyebrows. “What’s this about?”

“Long story.” I muttered and looked for Hermione and Ron. When they joined us, I could see the uneasiness on her face.

“We’ll go to the Chamber.” Hermione declared. “I’ve explained it to Ron, and he agrees that it’s our best chance to destroy it once Harry found it.”

“Please be careful.” I took her hands. “I hate splitting up.”

“What are you going to do?” Ron asked.

I exchanged a look with Remus and then I saw Fred and George in the distance. I grinned. “We’ll prepare a few surprises for the Death Eaters.”

“Finally someone who’s got a good idea!” Fred declared loudly and they joined us.

Remus grinned. “Just like the good old times, isn’t it?”

I watched Hermione and Ron leaving the room before I looked at the others in the crowd. “Who wants to have some fun?” I asked loudly and more people joined us.


	74. Chapter 74

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

We didn't have much time to prepare traps for the Death Eaters, I was sure of that. The tension in the castle seemed to rise with every passing minute. Next to me, Remus seemed to feel it too. He was tense and looked around from time to time, as if he was already expecting an attack.

“So what is it you're looking for?” Remus asked quietly. “You know you can trust me, Sirius. Don't tell me that you need the diadem for the wisdom it should give a person.”

I sighed. “It's a long story. There is a way to defeat You-Know-Who. We need the diadem and have to destroy it.”

Remus narrowed his eyes. “There are more objects than just that?”

“Exactly. We've been looking for them those past months.”

“I would have loved to go with you.” Remus muttered and I remembered our conversation at Grimmauld Place what felt like ages ago.

“You know that it was the right choice to stay.” I said softly.

“I do.” He agreed. “Otherwise, I wouldn't have Teddy now. But I would have liked to help anyway.”

“You did when you let me stay with you. And now you're helping as well.” I reminded him.

He smiled at me, but didn't get the chance to say anything else. We heard footsteps and already raised our wands, but it were just Fred and George. “We've set up the trap close to the stairs.” Fred said with a grin.

“They won't see it coming!” George agreed.

I nodded. “That's good. Shall we continue then?”

Together, we ran to the next point in the castle we wanted to set up a trap. We continued like that for some time when we noticed that something changed.

More people were running through the castle now, led my Prefects and other teachers. They were heading in the direction of the Room of Requirement. “They're evacuating the students.” Remus whispered next to me. “I'd like to know what caused this.”

We didn't have to wait long for news about this. It was Neville who informed us. “Harry has been seen with McGonagall. Apparently, she fought Snape and he fled! Now the students should leave and everyone else prepares to fight!” He grinned. “This is so exciting! Finally, something happens. It was about time.”

“Do you know where Harry is now?” I asked, wanting to join my godson again. “And what about Ron and Hermione?”

Neville shrugged. “I'm sorry, don't know about that! I have to keep going, we want to set another trap at the bridge outside!” With that, he vanished again, Ginny and Seamus close behind him.

“It's starting.” I muttered and next to me, Remus nodded.

“I have to find Tonks.” He said. “You should look for the others.”

“I won't leave you alone in all this chaos.” I said sternly. “We'll look for them together!”

It didn't take long for us to find Tonks. She was in front of the Room of Requirement, together with other members of the Order. I could see Kingsley, Bill and Fleur as well as Molly and Arthur among them. To our surprise, the statues and suits of armor of the castle were walking outside.

Tonks grinned when she saw us. “Minerva woke the statues!” She exclaimed and her eyes were shining in excitement. “I've never seem something like this!”

“It's fascinating, but I don't think we have the time to look at it any longer.” Remus said and smiled slightly. “There will be a battle soon.”

Suddenly, we heard loud voices.

“That was Harry Potter!”

“ _Harry Potter_!” 

“It was him, I swear, I just saw him!”

Remus smiled at me. “Seems like you don't have to look for Harry any longer.”

I nodded and relief washed over me. I had already feared that something happened to him. Soon, he came around the next corner, together with Luna. There was a stressed expression on his face and he stopped when he saw us.

“Sirius, Remus!” He called loudly and I grinned.

“Did you find it?” I asked instead of greeting him.

“No, but I know whom I have to ask.” Harry said breathlessly. “Where are Ron and Hermione? Did they return yet?”

“They didn't.” I explained. “I've been looking for you when we stopped here.”

“The ghosts might know where it is.” Harry muttered. “I have to talk to them.”

“I'll come with you.” I offered immediately, but he shook his head.

“You have to find Ron and Hermione. We need a way to destroy it once it's found!” Harry shouted. “Here, take this” he shoved the Marauder's Map into my hands “then you can find them and me again! The entrance to the Chamber is the girl's bathroom on the second floor!” Without another word, Harry turned around and vanished in the crowd again.

I exchanged a look with Remus. “Will you be fine?” I asked.

“We'll help you finding them!” Remus said determinedly.

“No, you're needed here! The battle will begin soon!” I protested, but of course they didn't listen to me. Instead, Remus took the lead and together, we ran towards said bathroom. On our way, we met more and more students who were trying to leave the castle in panic. I feared that they wouldn't all make it in time. Inwardly, I cursed for causing this situation in the first place. If we wouldn't have come here, there wouldn't be a battle. However, we didn't have a choice. We needed to destroy the Horcrux.

While we were running, I scanned the Map for Hermione's and Ron's names, but it took some time until I finally found them. “They're on their way downstairs!” I shouted and Remus changed the direction without hesitation. Soon, I took the lead since I could follow their steps on the Map now. Everywhere in the castle, members of the Order were casting protecting spells and I felt the urge to help them, but I resisted. The Horcrux was our priority, not the defense of the castle.

When we finally spotted Ron and Hermione, I sighed in relief. They were carrying lots of yellow objects which I knew were basilisk fangs. Ron was also carrying a broom. They saw us and stopped.

“Sirius!” Hermione shouted and nearly let the fangs fall to the ground. “Where's Harry?”

“Searching for the diadem!” I explained. “He said I should get you.”

“How did you find us in all this chaos?” Ron asked incredulously.

I showed them the Map. “Harry gave it to me. So we can also find him now.”

“Where is he looking for the diadem?” Hermione asked.

“He wanted to talk to the ghosts.” I said shortly. I was already looking for Harry's name on the Marauder's Map again.

“Brilliant.” Hermione whispered. “The ghost of Ravenclaw!”

“There he is!” Ron had been looking at the Map as well. “But where is he heading?”

“Looks like he's going back to the Room of Requirement.” I muttered thoughtfully.

“We should follow him!” Ron exclaimed.

And that's what we did, together with Remus and Tonks. “You can't go with us all the way!” I told them when we passed a corridor that wasn't so crowded.

“We know, but for now, we'll stay with you.” Tonks said determinedly and Remus nodded.

“You're impossible.” I whispered, but honestly, I was glad that they were with us.

I glanced at the Map again. “Harry has nearly reached the Room of Requirement.”

“So do we!” Hermione shouted.

It was true, we met Harry directly in front of the room. Just that it wasn't filled with people anymore. Instead, they were all leaving it. “What's going on here?” I asked loudly.

Harry spun around when he heard my voice. He looked from me to Hermione and Ron. The relief in his eyes was obvious. “I need to go in there. It doesn't work when others use the room.”

“He's hidden it in the _Room of Requirement_?” I asked incredulously. 

Harry nodded. “And I've already seen it once.” He described how he'd hidden the Potions book of the Half-Blood Prince.

When the room was empty, I turned to Remus and Tonks. “Please be careful.”

“We will be.” Remus assured me and I hugged him tightly. “Don't do anything stupid, Padfoot.” He whispered into my ear.

“You too, Moony. I _will_ see you again soon.” I didn't want to think of how it would feel like to lose my best friend. 

We exchanged one last smile before they joined Kingsley to strengthen the wards around the school.

“So let's get that Horcrux.” Harry muttered and together, we entered the Room of Requirement.

* * *

It all ended in disaster. We met Draco, Crabbe and Goyle in the Room of Requirement. It ended in a battle and the outbreak of fire which destroyed everything in there and nearly killed us. In all this chaos, I wasn't sure if Harry managed to get the Horcrux, but at least I hoped so. Crabbe didn't survive the incident, but everyone else could escape the room unharmed.

Luckily, Harry had the diadem. And it was destroyed by the Fiendfyre. Right now, Hermione, Ron and I were kneeling in front of Harry, who had his eyes closed and was breathing heavily. We all knew that he was looking inside Voldemort's mind now.

Suddenly, Harry opened his eyes. “It's the snake. She's the last one. It's the last Horcrux.” He gasped and looked at us with wide eyes.

Ron leaned forward, a serious look on his face. “Look inside him, Harry. Find out where he is, if you find him, we can find the snake. And we can end this!”

Next to me, Hermione didn't look happy, but she didn't protest. I took her hand and squeezed it. This was our best choice to put an end to this war.

It didn't take long until Harry opened his eyes again. “I know where he is.”

We all followed Harry through the battle and towards the Shrieking Shack. It was clever to hide there. Not too far away from the castle, but also not too close. No one would ever go there freely.

On our way, we were involved in many fights and saw lots of our friends.

“Hello, Minister!” A loud voice startled us when we rounded a corner and we saw Percy and Fred Weasley standing in front of Thicknesse, who was lying on the ground and tried to reach for his wand. “Did I mention I'm resigning?”

“You're joking, Perce!” Fred shouted and grinned at Percy when the last Death Eater was lying in the ground. “You actually _are_ joking, Perce... I don't think I've heard you joke since you were -” 

The sound of footsteps caught my attention and it was just in time. I was able to cast a single protection spell and then not too far away from us, an explosion took place. My spell couldn't prevent it completely and we were all flying through the air. I heard pained gaps and someone muttered a spell to let the dust in the air vanish. When we were able to see again, I jumped to my feet and sent a wave of spells towards the Death Eaters.

“Everyone alright?” Harry asked, but I didn't turn around. I kept focused on the hallway in front of us, waiting for another attack.

“Might have broken an arm.” Fred muttered and the others all said that they were fine.

“We have to keep going.” Hermione said urgently.

“Will you be alright?” Ron asked and I knew it was directed at Percy and Fred.

“Yeah, we'll join the others again.” Percy said. “Can you fight, Fred?”

“I can wave my wand, that should be enough for now.” Fred agreed.

“Be careful!” Ron called out before we continued to ran towards the entrance hall.

We weren't able to run fast. Every time we just defeated a Death Eater, the next one seemed to appear. It was difficult enough to stay together. Soon, a few other members of the Order joined us right before we left the castle. Outside, the chaos was even worse. I saw giants, Death Eaters and spiders fighting against our people. Even a few Dementors were in the air.

Even while we were running, I looked out for Remus and Tonks. I would never forgive myself if something happened to them in all this. And that's when I saw them. Tonks was lying on the ground and I wasn't sure if she was just unconscious or if it was worse. In front of her, Remus was fighting Dolohov and it didn't look good. He was wounded and even from the distance I could see that he was in pain.

“Keep going, I'll find you!” I shouted at Harry and the others. Before they could react, I'd changed the direction I was running in and headed towards Remus and his opponent. I knew that I wouldn't be fast enough when Remus was forced to his knees, so I did the only thing I could think of in this moment. While running I changed my form and sped towards the two men. Without slowing down, I collided with Dolohov and his wand fell to the ground.

A dark growl escaped my mouth when I jumped at him again, this time aiming for his throat. I got hold of his shoulder instead and he screamed in pain. Then Remus was next to me and stunned Dolohov with a movement of his wand. There was blood on his face and jacket and he looked like he would break down soon, but he smiled weakly. “Thank you, Sirius.”

I changed back to my human form and raised my wand. “Don't thank me.” I knelt down next to Tonks without loosing sight of our surroundings. “She's alive.” Her pulse was weak, but there. “You have to get her away from here.”

Remus nodded, but in that state, I doubted that he'd be able to carry her. So I took her into my arms and stood up. “Can you back me up?”

Remus hesitated. “You're losing sight of Harry and the others.”

He was right, but I couldn't just leave them here.

“I'll take Tonks.” Another voice said suddenly and I turned around to see Kingsley, Aberforth and Arthur. “You have to stay with Harry.” Kingsley said sternly.

I nodded with relief. “Take care of them and yourselves.”

“You too.”

I knew that I wouldn't be able to catch up with the others like this. I changed into Padfoot again and ran. When I finally spotted them again, they had nearly reached the Whomping Willow.

“Sirius!” Hermione had seen me first and there was worry in her eyes. “What happened?”

“Tonks and Remus will be fine.” I told them once I changed back. “The others are with them. We have to focus on the task at hand now.”

The others nodded and together, we entered the secret passageway that would lead us to the Shrieking Shack.


	75. Chapter 75

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter I can post for now. The last ones aren't written yet. But don't worry, I plan to finish this story soon! Maybe I'll even write another chapter today. I hope you liked it so far, please let me know, that would be awesome! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

“I have a problem, Severus.” Voldemort said softly. We were in the Shrieking Shack, hidden under the Invisibility Cloaks, and watched the conversation between Voldemort and Severus Snape. The snake was also there, but there was nothing we could do in this moment. We would get discovered as soon as we moved away from here and that was the last thing we wanted. So we couldn't do anything else than to listen silently.

“My Lord?” Snape asked.

From where I was hidden, I saw that Voldemort raised the Elder Wand. “Why doesn't it work for me, Severus?”

“My – my Lord?” Snape said after a few moments of silence. “I do not understand. You – you have performed extraordinary magic with that wand.”

“No.” Voldemort argued. “I have performed my usual magic. I am extraordinary, but this wand... no. It has not revealed the wonders it has promised. I feel no difference between this wand and the one I procured from Ollivander all those years ago.”

They kept talking about the loyalties of the Elder Wand and my mind was racing. Did Voldemort want to say that the wand wasn't serving him correctly? That someone else was the master of the Elder Wand? Was _Snape_ really the master of the wand since he killed Dumbledore? And would Voldemort kill Snape because of this?

Even if I hated Snape with all my being, I began to feel sick. No one deserved something like this.

In the end, it turned out that my presumption was true. Voldemort wanted to kill Snape. But he had no intention to do it himself. Instead, he told Nagini to do it. I glanced at the others and saw the same tension I felt on their faces. I took Hermione's hand and squeezed it, noticing that there was something else next to fear in her eyes. Sadness, maybe? But why?

Once we were sure that Voldemort and Nagini were gone, we left our hiding place. Severus was lying on the ground, blood running down from a deep wound on his throat. He was still alive, but I knew that it was just a matter of time. There was nothing we could do for him anymore.

Harry knelt down next to him and tried to stop the bleeding, but it was useless. Snape breathed in sharply when he recognized Harry in front of him. He made a hissing noise and his voice was barely a whisper. “Take... it...”

First, I wasn't sure what he meant, but then I saw the tears running down his cheeks. I turned to Hermione, wanting to tell her that she should give Harry a bottle, but she was faster and already pushed it into his hands. I knew why those tears were so important to him. Memories. Severus Snape's memories. But why did he want Harry to see them?

“Look... at... me...” Harry did and we all stared at them in silence, frozen in shock. “You have your mother's eyes.” Severus Snape whispered. Then he took one last breath.

The next minutes, we spent in silence. Harry was still kneeling next to Snape and looked at him, but I couldn't see his face. Hermione wrapped her arms around me and hid her face on my chest and Ron just stared at Harry and Snape with an unreadable expression on his face.

Even if I'd hated this man all my life, I felt sorry for him. He had done terrible things, but no one deserved a death like this.

My thoughts were interrupted when a high, cold voice began to speak. I already thought that Voldemort returned, but when I looked around, I noticed that we were still alone in the Shrieking Shack.

“ _You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery._ ” He started slowly and his voice seemed to be everywhere at once. “ _Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste._ ”

At his words, Hermione made a hissing noise.

“ _Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat, immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your injured._ ” Merciful... Only he could call himself like that.

“ _Harry Potter, now I speak directly to you. On this night, you have allowed your friends to die for you, rather than face me yourself. There is no greater dishonor. Join me in the Forbidden Forrest and confront your fate. If you do not do this, I shall kill every last man, woman and child who tries to conceal you from me._ ”

So this was how he wanted to do it. How he wanted to force Harry to confront him. Voldemort knew that Harry would do anything to keep others safe. He was using this to his advantage.

My godson stood up slowly and turned to us. The look on his face was blank and I knew that Voldemort's words had hit him. I placed a hand on his shoulder as a sign of support. I wouldn't let him sacrifice himself. There had to be another way.

We made our way back to the castle slowly, no one saying a word. Next to me, Hermione was watching Harry from time to time, but I couldn't tell what she was thinking. I also didn't ask. This didn't seem to be the right time for words.

When we had nearly reached the castle, Ron grabbed Harry's arm. “Don't listen to him.” He said. “I know what you're thinking and I won't let you do this!”

Slowly, Harry turned to look at Ron. The utter desperation on his face made his best friend breathe in sharply. “What if there's no other way?” Harry whispered.

“There's always another way.” I argued sternly. “What about those?” I pointed at the bottle Harry was still holding. “Maybe they'll help.”

Only now Harry looked at the bottle again, surprise obvious on his face. Apparently, he'd nearly forgotten about Snape's memories.

“It will be all right.” Hermione threw in and I could feel her uneasy. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Let's just go back inside and then we'll see what we can do.”

Ron looked like he wanted to argue again, but then he just nodded and together, we entered the castle.

After the battle, it was strangely quiet. The Entrance Hall was empty, but I could hear voices from somewhere else. Most probably from the Great Hall. I took the lead and the others followed me.

The house tables in the great hall were gone and the room was crowded. The survivors stood in groups. People were talking or just hugging each other quietly. Many of them were also crying. The injured were treated by Madam Pomfrey and a few others at the end of the hall. And the dead lay in a row in the middle of the big hall.

I took a deep breath and glanced at them, afraid to see faces I knew. I hoped Remus and Tonks were all right, as well as the other members of the Order. And of course everyone else Harry, Ron and Hermione knew...

But then Ron cried out and began to run towards the middle of the hall. When I saw who was lying on the ground, I started to feel sick. Lavender Brown had claw marks on her chest and I knew whose work this was immediately. Ron sank down onto his knees next to her and began to cry. Hermione already ran after him, but others were faster.

Fred and George both wrapped their arms around their younger brother to comfort him. They were followed by the other Weasley's who were all fine. Even Percy was there and looked at his younger brother with a sad look on his face. I noticed that Molly was standing close to Percy and looked at her son with wonder from time to time. I knew that it was hard to understand for her that he was really back and fighting alongside them.

Now Hermione also knelt down next to Ron and whispered calming words to him. I kept watching her, but then someone called my name and my heart started to beat faster.

Remus was looking terrible, but he was running to me anyway. I was so glad that he was all right that I just wrapped my arms around him once he was close enough. “Thank god, you're all right.” I whispered and grinned at him.

Remus smiled as well. “Thanks to you. Otherwise, Dolohov would have been the end of us.”

I raised my eyebrows. “So you mean Tonks...?”

“Will be fine.” Remus nodded. “Thank you, Sirius.”

“Don't thank me.” I shook my head. “That's what family's there for.” I looked around again, trying not to pay too much attention to the Weasley's. “Is everyone else all right?”

“Most members of the Order, yes. Though many are injured. The battle's been tough.” Remus also glanced at the Weasley's. “Poor Ron.” Then he frowned. “Where's Harry?”

Only then I noticed that my godson was indeed missing. Without looking at Remus, I left the Great Hall. The footsteps behind my back told me that he was following me. In the destroyed Entrance Hall, I breathed in deeply. “Seems like he's gone upstairs.” I muttered and relaxed again, though it didn't last long. Voldemort's words were still on my mind.

“He will go, won't he?” Remus asked. “To the forest.”

I sighed. “I hope he won't do it, but...”

“He's just like James. He also wouldn't have let others suffer for him.” Remus said softly.

“I don't want him to go.” I muttered.

“But would you stop him?”

That was a good question. I wanted nothing more, but I knew that I couldn't stop Harry if he really wanted it...

Remus placed his hand on my back and took me back to reality. “Come on, let's go back to the others.”

“Maybe I'll just wait for him here.” I muttered and looked over my shoulder to the Great Hall. I saw Neville and Luna sitting next to each other, talking about something. Ginny and Hermione were standing apart from the other Weasley's now, also discussing something. Suddenly, Hermione looked up and our eyes met. However, she didn't join us. I also saw many others I knew in that hall. But Harry was missing. No matter what choice he made, I had to be there for my godson now.

“Then I'll also stay for a few more minutes.” I smiled at him gratefully and together, we sat down on the stairs. “So now tell me what happened.” Remus said. “Or is it still a secret?”

“Snape's dead.” I muttered. “Voldemort killed him.”

“ _Snape_?” Remus asked incredulously. “But I thought he was working with them!”

“He was. But he had something Voldemort wanted.” In short words, I told him about the Elder Wand and that it went from owner to owner by killing someone.

“So Snape killed Dumbledore, which made him master of the Elder Wand. The most powerful wand in the world. And now Voldemort killed Snape.” Remus shook his head in shock. “Harry won't stand a chance against him.” He narrowed his eyes. “But those Hallows weren't the things you were after the past months.”

“No, they weren't. There's something else.” I hesitated. Could I tell him about it now? “There's a way to kill Voldemort. But before that's possible, the snake must die.”

Remus frowned. “What are you talking about?”

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed. “It's a really long story. Let's just say that Dumbledore started something we wanted to finish.”

“I always knew you had a plan, but...” He shrugged. “Tell me about it once all this is over?”

I nodded and smiled slightly. “Always.”

We sat there for a few moments in silence. “Tell me about Teddy.” I said when I couldn't stand it any longer. And so Remus did. It was good to hear stories about him, and the happiness in Remus' voice made me smile.

We were talking for some time when I heard the sound of footsteps on the stairs. But when I turned around, no one could be seen. I knew that this must be Harry, hidden under his cloak.

Apparently, Remus thought the same. He stood up. “I'll leave you alone now.” He looked in the direction of the stairs. “Just know that you're not alone.” With those words, he returned to the Great Hall.

I didn't stand up and after a few more moments, Harry appeared next to me. He was looking tired, with dark rings under his eyes. The sad and thoughtful look on his face didn't surprise me. “What did you see?” I asked quietly.

Harry swallowed, searching for the right words. “I think I always knew that it would come to this.”

It took a few moments until I realized the meaning behind his words. “No!” I muttered. Even if I'd known all along that it might come to this, those words still shocked me. I couldn't lose him. Not Harry. Not after everyone I'd already lost.

“There's a reason why I can hear them. The Horcruxes.” Harry muttered. “I think I've known for a while.” He breathed in shakily and didn't try to hold back the tears anymore. Neither did I.

I wrapped my arms around him and pulled him closer. “James would be so proud of you.” I whispered. “And Lily.”

“And you?”

I chuckled and wiped away the tears on my cheeks. It wasn't of any use since more were following. “You know that I've always been proud of you, Harry.”

“I'm afraid, Sirius.” Harry admitted quietly.

“Only fools aren't afraid.” I said softly. “You're the bravest man I know.”

“Nothing compared to you.” He argued.

I laughed, but it sounded more like a sob. “I'm too foolish for my own good, your father used to say.”

“That's not true.”

I smiled sadly. “I wish you could have met James.”

“Me too.” Harry whispered. “Snape knew.” He said suddenly.

I raised my eyebrows.

“About Voldemort and me. That it had to end this way. He was always working for Dumbledore.” He breathed in deeply. “Because of my mother. He always loved her.”

I nodded slowly. I'd already assumed that back in the Shrieking Shack. “So we've been wrong about him all along.”

Harry nodded. “Dumbledore always trusted him.” He was silent for a few moments. “Tell Hermione and Ron that I'm sorry. And that I love them. And Ginny...”

“They know.” I whispered.

“How's Ron?” I could see the concern in Harry's eyes. Even now, when he was about to sacrifice his life, he was worried for his friends.

“His family's with him.” I explained. “All of them.”

At this, Harry relaxed. “That's good. And Remus and Tonks are also fine?”

I nodded.

Harry breathed in deeply. “Take care of them, Sirius.”

“I will.” I promised. “And you be careful.” It was hard to say those things, knowing that I would never see Harry again.

“Always.” Harry tried to smile, but it didn't reach his eyes.

We both stood up. “Let me accompany you to the forest.” I said, but he shook his head.

“This is something I have to do alone.” He muttered.

I nodded slowly, not happy with his words.

“You have to be there for Hermione now.”

I sighed. “You always know what to say to make me do the things you want.” I muttered, but glanced at the entrance to the Great Hall anyway.

We hugged each other again, but none of us said anything. Just before he wanted to walk away, Harry glanced at me again. “You have to kill the Snake. And then it's only him.”

“We will.” I said determinedly.

Harry nodded one last time and then he vanished under the Invisibility Cloak.

I looked after him for some time and didn't notice that someone was approaching me before a hand touched my arm carefully. “Sirius?” Hermione asked carefully.

When I looked at her, I saw the concern in her eyes. Only now I realized that I was still crying. “He's gone.” I said simply.

“I already feared that.” Hermione muttered.

Then we wrapped our arms around each other and cried. Soon, Ron also joined us and we all stood there and looked at the grounds silently.


	76. Chapter 76

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All right, maybe I just wrote the next chapter now. I hope you like it and please let me know what you think! As I said, I plan on finishing this story as soon as possible. 
> 
> I have borrowed a few lines from the book, I hope you don't mind! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

The waiting was the worst part. Hermione, Ron and I were outside, sitting on a few stones in front of the castle. Now that Harry was gone, we didn't want to join the others in the Great Hall again. Somehow, it just felt wrong to be around so many people.

I had my arms wrapped around Hermione. She's stopped crying some time ago, but she was still clinging onto my jacket desperately. I knew exactly how she was feeling right now. There was a burning in my chest, right where my heart should have been. I wanted to run after Harry and drag him back here. Or maybe accompany him to the forest. However, it wasn't possible. I knew that he'd arrived by now. And he'd asked me to stay with Hermione. He'd hit a point there. I couldn't leave her alone, not now. Not when her best friend left to sacrifice himself.

On my other side, Ron was watching the grounds with a blank expression on his face. When I'd told them that Harry was gone, he'd also cried. I knew that this was all too much for him. First his girlfriend (or almost-girlfriend, I wasn't so sure) Lavender Brown and now Harry. I felt bad for him and placed a hand on his shoulder. To my surprise, Ron didn't push it away. Instead, he looked at me with a grateful look on his face.

So we sat there in silence. I couldn't tell for how long.

Suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me and looked over my shoulder. It was Neville.

“Harry's gone, isn't he?” Neville asked quietly and I nodded.

He sighed. “I knew that he was going to do it.” He muttered. “Even if I'd wished he wouldn't.”

“He couldn't let others suffer for him any longer.” I said, even if it wasn't the entire truth. After all, Harry had to die. The part of Voldemort inside of him had to be destroyed. And there was only one way to do it.

“They will come back, won't they?” Neville looked towards the forest. “When he's...” He didn't finish the sentence, but he didn't have to. We all knew what he wanted to say. In my arms, Hermione flinched and I also felt like my heart had been stabbed.

“There's something we have to do, once they're back.” I muttered, remembering what our task was. The more people knew about it now, the better. “We have to kill the snake.”

“The snake?” Neville frowned.

I nodded. “It's important.”

“Otherwise, we can't finish him off.” Ron added darkly.

“And you'll try to do it.” Neville concluded.

“Yes, but the more people know about it, the better.” I explained.

Neville nodded slowly. “I'll see what I can do.”

“Thank you.” I whispered. Now Neville sat down on the ground next to us and together, we watched the grounds in silence.

Of course Remus also joined us after some time. He stopped behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “They've brought Tonks to St. Mungo's.” He whispered. “So she'll be all right if...” If there was going to be another battle.

“I bet she didn't like that you stayed.” I noted.

“Not at all.” Remus agreed. “But I couldn't leave you.”

I nodded slowly, understanding why he did this. In his place, I would have also stayed. Since there was nothing more to say, the silence around us returned.

However, it didn't last for long.

“ _Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone. The battle is won. You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle, now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live, and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together._ ”

Those words echoed through the grounds and I knew that everyone heard them. I stood up slowly, suddenly feeling numb. Next to me, Hermione and Ron did the same. I swallowed and closed my eyes. Hermione reached for my hand and squeezed it.

I'd known that it would come to this. Ever since Harry left the castle, I'd known that Voldemort would kill him. That I would never see my godson again. His green eyes that reminded me so much of his mother. Or the appearance he got from his father. The way he smiled and laughed when he was happy and how his eyes were shining. But also the determination in his eyes when he had made up his mind about something.

All along, we'd tried to protect Harry. We'd done everything for that. So many people had sacrificed their lives. And what for? Now he was gone anyway. Killed by Voldemort himself. Albus had known it all along. Even _Snape_ had known it. Suddenly, I understood why Harry had always been so angry at Dumbledore for keeping all those secrets. I felt the burning anger myself.

However, knowing that Harry was going to the forest and actually hearing that he was dead were two completely different things. It still shocked me, even if I'd expected it. I glanced at Hermione and Ron next to me. Hermione looked afraid while I could see anger on Ron's face. Was he thinking the same as me? That all this was just unfair?

Someone placed a hand on my shoulder and I knew that it was Remus again. There was sadness in his eyes, but otherwise, my best friend looked completely calm. I knew that he was already preparing for a battle. Because there was no way that we would kneel before Voldemort. We'd rather die.

Slowly, more people were leaving the castle and stopped behind us. I could see Minerva and the Weasley's. Ginny took a step towards us and our eyes met. I could see the disbelief in them. The fear and shock. No one had told her that Harry left. I shook my head shortly and she closed her eyes. I knew that this was also hard for her. She loved Harry, that was obvious. And Harry also loved her. Now Fred and George stepped next to their sister and also looked at me. I'd never seen them this serious. Even in the battle, there had always been some kind of humor in their eyes. Now it was gone.

The crowd in front of the castle was getting bigger slowly. I saw that Luna stopped next to Neville and took his hand. Kingsley and Aberforth were standing at the edge of the group, their wands ready in their hands. Even Horace Slughorn was there, but I thought that he would have preferred being somewhere else now. He stood next to a determined looking Professor Flitwick. Then there were the other Weasley's. Percy was standing next to Bill and whispered something to his brother, who had an arm wrapped around Fleur protectively. Molly and Arthur were holding hands, anxious expressions on both their faces. There were also so many others. I didn't even know the names of some of them.

Right now, when I saw all of them standing behind us, I knew why Harry had decided to go to the forest and face Voldemort. He had done it to save all of them – all of us. Because otherwise, there wouldn't have been a chance to end this war and more people would die.

“They're coming.” Hermione whispered next to me and ripped me out of my thoughts. It was true. When I followed her gaze, I saw many people walking towards the castle. Voldemort was walking in front of the group. Next to him was someone unexpected.

We all recognized Hagrid immediately – it wasn't difficult. However, he wasn't what caught my attention. It was the person he was carrying in his arms. _Harry_. He wasn't moving and the last bits of hope I had vanished. Hermione breathed in shakily and I wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

On Voldemort's other side, I could see Bellatrix and the Malfoy's. Bellatrix was smiling triumphantly while Lucius and Narcissa looked rather unhappy.

“NO!” Minerva shouted and broke the silence on the yard. She took a step forward, but stopped again. There was despair on her face, mixed with helplessness. I felt the same.

Now Hermione and Ron also came to life.

“No!”

“ _No_!”

“ _Harry_! HARRY!” Ginny tried to run towards the Death Eaters, but Fred and George grabbed her arms and forced her to stay. She tried to free herself from their grip, but in the end, she gave in and hid her face on Fred's chest. She started to cry and my heart broke for her.

I didn't cry. I knew that even if I'd opened my mouth, no words would have come out. I was frozen. Seeing Harry like this, all lifeless in Hagrid's arms... Another image appeared in my mind. James, lying on the ground in their house in Godric's Hollow. Dead. And Lily... I breathed in deeply to make the thoughts go away. I couldn't let despair take over now. I had to focus on the task at hand. Next to Voldemort, I could see Nagini. We had to kill the snake. And him.

Right now, I was grateful for the burning anger I felt. I knew that it wouldn't be good in a fight, but it helped me to keep the dark thoughts at bay.

“SILENCE!” Voldemort shouted when more people started to scream. The crowd fell silent immediately. “It is over! Set him down, Hagrid, at my feet, where he belongs!”

When I had a closer look at Hagrid, I noticed that he was crying. He lowered Harry onto the grass carefully, a look of utter desperation on his face. I kept my eyes fixed on my godson. He wasn't moving. Slowly, the silly part of me that hoped that this was all a misunderstanding vanished. Harry wasn't moving.

“You see?” Voldemort asked and grinned widely. “Harry Potter is dead!” All around him, the Death Eaters started to laugh. “Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!”

In this moment, I wanted nothing more than to shout at Voldemort. I knew that he had placed some kind of silencing spell on us, but I didn't care. “He beat you!” I yelled, surprised that it worked. “More than once!” Now that the charm was broken, all around me, others started to shout as well.

Voldemort started to speak again, wanting to tell us once more that Harry died while trying to save himself, but he was interrupted when someone ran towards him, wand raised. It was Neville. I wanted to run after him, but many people grabbed me and forced me to stay. “Don't!” Remus whispered into my ear.

Next to me, Hermione nodded. “That's insane.” She whispered.

It was. Voldemort tried to convince Neville to join him, but of course he declined. That's when he tried to kill Neville while using the Sorting Hat to do so. There was nothing we could do to stop him. However, Voldemort's attempts to hurt Neville didn't work. Every time he tried to set Neville on fire, it didn't work. I already started to wonder why when something else happened in the form of Grawp, followed by centaurs, Thestrals and even Buckbeak.

That's when hell broke loose.

I looked around and what I saw there made me gasp in surprise. Neville had broken the binding curse and was holding the Sword of Gryffindor in his hands, to his feet was Nagini. He'd cut off her head. Voldemort screamed and I couldn't stop my lips from twitching. So there was one Horcrux less to destroy.

The last part of the charm which prevented the group from moving was broken and all around, people reached for their wands. We did the same and soon, the first Death Eaters were storming towards us. I cast a Shield Charm when the first curses started to fly towards us and then we were in the middle of another battle. First, Remus and Hermione were still by my side, but we got separated in the mass of people. All around, they were storming back into the castle again, both out people and Death Eaters.

“HARRY!” Someone shouted loudly and I recognized Hagrid's voice. “HARRY – WHERE'S HARRY?” He repeated and this made my blood freeze. What did he mean by that? Harry was lying on the ground...

I ran through the masses of people as fast as possible and when I was standing in front of Hagrid, I knew what he meant. Harry was gone. We both looked around, but his body was nowhere to be seen. When more curses were flying towards us, I couldn't continue wondering about this any longer.

I saw a familiar looking dark-haired woman running into the castle. Bellatrix. When I saw whom she was following, the anger overtook me again. She was directly behind Hermione and Ginny! I ran as fast as possible. In the Entrance Hall, I suddenly ran into something and nearly stumbled, but when I looked around, nothing was to be seen. I didn't waste another thought to that. Instead, I kept running after Bellatrix, who was fighting the two girls now.

“BELLATRIX!” I roared and she stopped fighting Hermione and Ginny. When she recognized me, she smiled widely. I could see the concerned look on Hermione's face, but I ignored it. I had to focus on Bellatrix. “Come on, let's finish it!” I challenged her. “Or are you so afraid of me that you have to take those girls instead?”

Her smile turned into an angry grimace. “I'm not afraid of you!” She shouted and then we began to duel each other. It wasn't like last time at the Ministry or back at Malfoy Manor. This time, I was prepared for her. I forced back my anger and tried to remain calm. I knew that this was necessary to defeat her.

Somewhere behind my back I heard Molly Weasley yell “NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BASTARD!”, but I couldn't turn around to see whom she was addressing. I had to keep focused.

No one tried to join our fight. It was just Bellatrix and me. Honestly, I've been waiting for this moment for nearly two years by now. Ever since that night at the Ministry. She was a good fighter, but so was I.

“Can't you do more than that?” I asked once between curses and grinned at her. I knew that it was stupid, but I couldn't help myself. That's when I remembered something. The morning before we'd left Shell Cottage to go to Gringotts, Harry had given me something. ' _I can't shake off the feeling that you'll have to face Bellatrix in the end. So take this and make her regret that she ever touched one of us._ ' he'd said and handed me Bellatrix' dagger. The one she'd thrown at me back at Malfoy Manor.

It was still hidden under my clothes and now I reached for it. She tried to hit me with a Killing Curse once more, but I sank down on my knees and it hit the wall behind me instead. In one movement, I grabbed her dagger and threw it. At the same time, I disarmed her.

Bellatrix' eyes widened in disbelief when the dagger sank into her skin, right where her heart was. She opened her mouth to say something, but no words would come out. At least that's what I thought with all the noises around me. Bellatrix sank to the ground and then she was lying there, motionless. She was dead.

I stood up and looked at my surroundings. Many others were still fighting. Then my eyes landed on Hermione. She wasn't looking at me and when I followed her gaze, I noticed that Voldemort started at Bellatrix. He screamed and then he turned to me, his wand raised. From the corner of my eyes, I saw that Hermione began to run towards me. She screamed something, but I didn't hear it.

I was ready to jump out of the way when someone close to me shouted. “ _Protego_!”

The Shield Charm expanded between Voldemort and me and he looked around hectically, searching for the source of the spell. I did the same and my heart was racing in my chest. I _knew_ that voice, even if I'd thought that I'd never hear it again.

Harry pulled off the Invisibility Cloak and all around us, people started to cheer and scream. Some in shock, others out of happiness. For half a second, our eyes met and Harry's lips twitched. I felt relief wash over me. Harry was still alive! I didn't question how this was even possible. Because in this moment, he turned around to face Voldemort.

Two people appeared next to me and I didn't have to look around to know that it were Hermione and Remus. Hermione took my hand and Remus' shoulder touched mine. We all watched the scene in front of us anxiously.

“I don't want anyone else to try to help.” Harry said loudly and I was surprised at how calm his voice sounded. On the other hand, he'd just died and yet he was standing here, so I thought that nothing could shake him anymore. “It's got to be like this. It's got to be me.”

Voldemort hissed loudly. “Potter doesn't mean that.” He said. “That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?” He looked around. “Maybe your godfather over there?”

“Nobody.” Harry replied simply, ignoring the provocative tone in which Voldemort had mentioned me. “There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good.”

“One of us?” Voldemort laughed. “You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?”

“Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me?” Harry asked. The whole time they were talking, they circled each other, waiting for the other one to move first. “Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?”

“ _Accidents_!” Voldemort shouted. “Accidents and the fact that you were always hiding between others to get away from me!”

“You don't be killing anyone else tonight!” Harry said loudly. His eyes never left Voldemort. “You won't be able to kill any of them, ever again. Don't you get it? I was ready to die to stop you hurting these people -”

“But you did not!” Voldemort interrupted him harshly.

“I meant to. That's what did it. I've done what my mother did. None of your spells can touch them. You can't torture them anymore. You don't learn from your mistakes, Riddle, do you?”

The mentioning of his real name made Voldemort even angrier. “You dare -”

“Yes, I dare.” Harry cut him off. “I know things you don't know, Tom Riddle. Lots of important things. Want to hear some, before you make another big mistake?”

That's when Harry explained that Snape had been working for Dumbledore all along. That he'd been a spy for him ever since Voldemort threatened Harry's mother. Because he'd always loved Lily, since their childhood. While Harry explained all those things, I saw different scenes in my mind, back in our time at Hogwarts. Snape had hated James, that had never been a secret. But maybe he didn't just hate him because he always made fun of him. Maybe he also hated him because Lily, the girl Snape loved, had chosen him. Suddenly, it all made sense.

“Dumbledore's last plan hasn't backfired on me at all. It's backfired on you, Riddle.” Harry said. “The Elder Wand isn't working for you, because you murdered the wrong person. Severus Snape was never the true master of the Elder Wand. He never defeated Dumbledore.”

“He killed -”

“Aren't you listening? _Snape never beat Dumbledore!_ Dumbledore's death was planned between them. Dumbledore intended to die undefeated, the wand's last true master! If all had gone as planned, the wand's power would have died with him, because it had never been won from him.”

“But then, Potter, Dumbledore as good as gave me the wand!” Voldemort grinned. “I stole the wand from its last master's tomb! I removed it against its last master's wishes!”

“You still don't get it, Riddle, do you? Possessing the wand isn't enough. Didn't you listen to Ollivander? _The wand chooses the wizard_. The Elder Wand recognized its new master before Dumbledore died, someone who never even laid a hand on it. The new master removed the wand from Dumbledore against his will. I've been there, that night on the Astronomy Tower when Dumbledore had been disarmed. The true master of the Elder Wand was Draco Malfoy.”

All around us, people gasped in shock. However, I was waiting for Harry to continue. He'd said that the master _was_ Draco Malfoy. So who was it now...? And then I remembered what happened at Malfoy Manor and couldn't stop myself from grinning. Could we be that lucky?

“You're too late, you've missed your chance with Draco.” Harry continued. “I got there first. I overpowered Draco weeks ago. I took this wand from him.” Next to his own, Harry took the wand from Draco Malfoy out of his pocket.

“So it all comes down to this, doesn't it? Does the wand in your hand know its last master was Disarmed? Because if it does... I am the true master of the Elder Wand.”

That's when both of them moved. All those things Harry said had been too much for Voldemort and I could see the pure hate in his eyes.

“ _Avada Kedavra!_ ”

“ _Expelliarmus!_ ”

There was a loud bang that filled the hall and for half a second, I could see flames between Harry and Voldemort, right where the spells collided. Then the Elder Wand was flying through the air, right towards Harry, who caught it with ease. On Voldemort's face was surprise, but then his Killing Curse had already rebounded and hit him right in the chest. He fell and then Tom Riddle hit the floor, his hands empty and his eyes still wide in surprise.

For a few seconds, everyone in the hall was silent and looked at the scene in front of us with wide eyes. Then the people started to cheer. I saw others running away and leaving the castle, most probably the last Death Eaters. But in this moment, I didn't care.

I wrapped my arms around Hermione and kissed her deeply. Then suddenly, Remus was there. He ignored the fact that we were kissing and just wrapped his arms around both of us. I laughed in joy and grinned at them. More people joined us and finally, Harry was standing right in front of me. Ron was by his side, but I ignored him.

I hugged my godson tightly. “Don't scare me like that again!” I muttered and grinned.

“I promise.” Harry laughed. Then Hermione and Remus hugged him as well and more members of the Order joined us.

We had won.

It was over.


	77. Chapter 77

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And another chapter. Sorry for possible mistakes, I've written this in about an hour and slowly, it's late and I'm getting tired. I hope you like it anyway, please let me know what you think! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

Even hours later, many people were still celebrating. Slowly, it was getting exhausting. Especially since not everything about this day was good. Many people had died. About fifty from our side. Luckily, none of my friends was among them. We were all fine.

Remus had already left some time ago, he wanted to visit Tonks at St. Mungo's and go to Teddy afterwards. Kingsley was also gone – he'd been named temporary Minister of Magic. Even if we were all sure that he could keep that job. He would be a great Minister, I was sure about that. Other members of the Order had also left, some of them to catch the last Death Eaters on the run and others to get all the innocents out of Azkaban. I could only agree with that. I knew how horrible it was to be locked in there.

Many students who'd stayed for the fight had also left the castle to go back to their families. No one blamed them. Nevertheless, there were still many people left at Hogwarts. Of some students, the parents were even here in the castle now, wanting to help undoing the damage later.

Minerva had placed the house tables in the Great Hall again, but no one was sitting at the right table. All around, people were mixed. Students, teachers, parents and sometimes even ghosts. When I entered the Great Hall to look for Harry and the others – there had been a very small, short meeting of the Order I had to attend – I smiled. It was so good that everything was finally over.

The others were sitting next to Luna and Neville. Ginny was also with them and she held Harry's hand. On her other side was Ron and she'd placed a comforting hand on his back. The loss of Lavender was still weighing heavily on him.

Hermione saw me first and smiled widely. “Where have you been?” She asked when I sat down next to her.

“Spontaneous Order meeting.” I explained shortly. “Wanted to inform me about everything that's going on at the moment.”

“Why didn't you tell us?” Harry raised his eyebrows.

“Honestly, I thought that you deserve some peace.” I smiled slightly. “After everything that happened in the past days and weeks.” They were all looking tired. Especially Harry. He had dark rings under his eyes and was paler than usual. However, he was smiling.

“That would be awesome.” He muttered. “Everyone wants to talk to me. It's getting exhausting.”

“I think I can help you with that.” Luna said suddenly. “But you have to leave quickly. And you should get under your Cloak, Harry.”

We all exchanged a look, but Harry hesitated. His eyes rested on Ginny. She smiled. “Just go, I'll be fine. I'll just look for Fred, George and Percy. They have to be somewhere in here.”

Harry smiled at her gratefully and kissed her cheek. Then he reached for his Invisibility Cloak. Ron, Hermione and I also got ready to leave.

“Oh, look, a Blibbering Humdinger!” Luna shouted suddenly and next to her, Neville also gasped in surprise. They both looked at one of the windows.

All around us, people followed their gazes. Harry used this opportunity to vanish under the Cloak and we left. On our way to the stairs, I noticed three people sitting at one of the tables I hadn't seen before. The Malfoy's were looking around from time to time. They all had uncomfortable expressions on their faces and it seemed as if they weren't even sure if they were welcome here. I knew that they hadn't been happy with the doings of Voldemort and the other Death Eaters for a long time. That's also why I didn't blame them completely for the events at Malfoy Manor. Which didn't mean that I liked any of them. However, I gave a small nod when they noticed us walking by. Lucius just stared at me blankly, but Narcissa's lips twitched and even Draco looked like he wanted to smile.

When I glanced at Hermione, I noticed that she's also nodded at Draco. I raised my eyebrows. “Shouldn't you ignore them forever?”

“They weren't responsible for anything that happened in that place.” She said sternly. “Draco even helped us.”

“That's true.” Harry noticed from under the Cloak.

I remembered what they'd told me about the events at the Manor. However, it didn't change the fact that the family had been with the Death Eaters until the end. And Draco had attacked us in the Room of Requirement. On the other hand, none of them had fought in the final battle. As soon as it started, they'd separated themselves from the other Death Eaters...

When we left the Hall, Harry told us that he wanted to go to Dumbledore's office. We didn't question that decision and went upstairs. In the distance, I could hear Peeves sing a song about the victory. Rom grimaced. “Really gives a feeling for the scope and tragedy of the thing, doesn't it?”

“I think Peeves will never forget you, Harry.” I remarked and we all started to laugh. It was a good feeling, even if we were all really tired by now.

Once we entered Dumbledore's office, we were greeted by applause. All around us, the headmasters and headmistresses of Hogwarts were giving Harry standing ovations. Some of them even waved their hats or danced in their frames. Phineas Nigellus was smiling widely. “And let it be noted that Slytherin house played its part! Let our contribution not be forgotten!” He shouted.

“Please remind me to get rid of his portrait.” Hermione whispered next to me.

I chuckled. “I'm sure he'll like the storeroom at Grimmauld Place.”

At this, she laughed. Then we both turned to Harry, who was standing in front of Albus Dumbledore's portrait now. There was pride on Albus' face and I noticed that he was crying.

After some more moments, Harry held up his hands and slowly, all the portraits fell silent. Most of them were still smiling widely and some of them were even crying of joy.

When Harry spoke, it was directed at Dumbledore. “The thing that was hidden in the Snitch, I dropped it in the Forest. I don't know where exactly, but I'm not going to go looking for it again. Do you agree?” In all the chaos, he could only tell us in very short words that the Resurrection Stone had been hidden in the Golden Snitch Dumbledore left Harry.

“My dear boy, I do.” Dumbledore said and Harry ignored the curious glances of other people in their portraits. “A wise and courageous decision, but no less than I would have expected of you. Does anyone else know where it fell?” Dumbledore continued.

“No one.” Harry said and Albus nodded in satisfaction.

“I'm going to keep Ignotus' present, though.” Harry said simply. I'd already expected that he would never give away the Invisibility Cloak.

“But of course, Harry, it's yours forever, until you pass it on!”

“And then there's this.” Now Harry held up the Elder Wand. We all stared at it. “I don't want it.”

“What?” Ron asked loudly. “Are you mental?”

“I know it's powerful, but I am happy with mine.” Harry held up his wand and then turned to Dumbledore again. “I'm putting the Elder wand back where it came from. It can stay there. If I die a natural death like Ignotus, its power will be broken, won't it? The previous master will never have been defeated. That'll be the end of it.”

Albus nodded with a smile.

“Are you sure?” Ron asked. I could hear the longing in his voice.

“I think Harry's right.” Hermione said quietly.

“That wand's more trouble than it's worth.” Harry said. “And quite honestly, I've had enough trouble for a lifetime.”

At this, I had to laugh loudly. The others joined me soon. “I'm so proud of you.” I said and placed a hand on Harry's arm. “You were so brave today.”

Harry shrugged. “I only did what I had to.”

I shook my head. “Not everyone would have acted like this.”

“He's right.” Hermione agreed. “That was admirable.”

“Will you ever tell us what you saw? In Snape's memories?” Ron asked.

Harry nodded. “But not right now.” He yawned. “I really need some sleep. And something to eat.”

I grinned. “Why don't we go home for now? We can return again to help with the repairs later.”

“Or tomorrow.” Ron muttered. “Sleep sounds good.”

“You'll come with us? Or do you want to go with your family?” Hermione sounded insecure now. “I mean, after what happened...”

“I'm fine here.” Ron said and exchanged a smile with Harry.

“All right, then let's go home.” With that, we made our way back to Grimmauld Place. Where Kreacher was already waiting for us with sandwiches.

* * *

When we went to bed, it had been nearly seven in the morning. Which was why it didn't surprise me that we all slept for most of the day. When I woke up again, it was already getting dark outside. I groaned and turned around in bed, just to notice that I wasn't alone. There was someone else lying next to me.

That's when I remembered what happened after we'd arrived back at Grimmauld Place. After dinner and a long, hot bath, we all went to bed. However, I'd just sat down on the bed when there had been a knock on my door. Hermione didn't say anything. She'd just smiled at me shyly and I'd wrapped my arms around her. Then we'd both fallen asleep.

Now she was also still asleep and there was a peaceful look on her face. I watched her silently, afraid that she might wake up when I moved too much. I'd always known that she was beautiful, but in this moment, she was stunning. Her hair was even more curly than usual since it had still been wet when we went to sleep and there was a small smile on her lips. I asked myself what she was dreaming.

It was still so strange to know that the war was over. A war that had accompanied me nearly all my life. First in our youth when the Order of the Phoenix had been founded only months after we'd finished school and then, years later, this war right after I'd escaped from Azkaban. I didn't even know if there had ever been a peaceful time in my life, except for my youth at Hogwarts, which had been quite eventful.

I smiled when I remembered the good old times with James, Remus and Peter. Only that now just Remus and me were left. James was gone for such a long time and Peter was also gone now. When I thought of this, my smile faded. Even if I'd hated Peter ever since he betrayed James and Lily, no one deserved a death like that.

“Stop frowning, it doesn't look good on you.” Hermione whispered and took me back to reality. I didn't even notice that she was watching me.

I smiled at her. “Good morning. Did you sleep well?”

“Better than in months. And you should say good afternoon, not good morning.” She replied and her eyes were shining. “And you?”

“Also better than in a long time.” I said and winked at her. The last time I'd slept this well had been the night before our trip to the Ministry, with Hermione in my arms.

Hermione blushed and I chuckled. “Nothing to be embarrassed for, love.” I whispered and pulled her closer. After a few moments, she relaxed in my arms.

“What were you thinking?”

“Nothing of importance.” I said simply.

She frowned. “You looked unhappy.”

I sighed. “You notice everything, don't you?” Instead of replying, she just looked at me patiently. “I thought of the last time my life had been peaceful.” I explained. “Nearly all my life, the fight against Voldemort has kept us busy. Well, except for the years I've spent in Azkaban. The only time without all this danger and fear have been my years at Hogwarts with the Marauders. But now only Remus and me are left. James, Lily and Peter are gone. Hell, even Snape's dead now. So much has changed.”

“Now, everything will get better. I'm sure of that.” Hermione said with a smile.

“I think you're right.” I agreed and leaned in to kiss her softly. “From now on, we can do whatever we want. It's incredible, isn't it?”

Hermione nodded. “It's a strange thought.”

I chuckled. “You'll get used to it.” I kissed her again, but this time, I didn't pull back that fast. Instead, I deepened the kiss and Hermione sighed happily. I felt the urge to touch her, but held myself back. Instead, I just drew circles on her back with my hands. I didn't want to rush things with her. After some time, she found the courage to place her hands on my chest. When we parted, we were both breathing heavily. Hermione's cheeks were red and I grinned at her.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.” She whispered.

“So what will we do now? Except for finding your parents, of course.” I asked and began to play with her hair. “Maybe we could stay in Australia for some time. Take some time for ourselves.”

“I think I want to finish school.” She said. “But some time for ourselves sounds good.” She smiled. “Once I've finished school, I want to do something good. I don't know what yet, but I'm sure I'll figure something out.”

“Of course you will.” I agreed.

“What will you do? Any plans?” She asked curiously. “We've never talked about this. What we'll do once this is over.”

I shrugged. “Kingsley has offered me a job at the Ministry. The Auror Office needs a new head.”

“You don't sound thrilled.” Hermione said with a frown. “Didn't you always want to be an Auror?”

“With all the things that happened in my life, I don't have that much faith in the Ministry.” I said hesitantly. “I don't think that I can work there.”

“Being head of the Auror Office would give you lots of freedom. You could change things there.” She noted.

“I'm not sure yet. First, we have to help at Hogwarts. And then, we're going to find your parents. I already told Kingsley that I need some time to think about it.”

“Did they also ask others?” She asked curiously.

“Kingsley wants Remus to be an Auror too. But he said no immediately. He says that one Auror in the family is enough.” I grinned. “I think he wants to return to Hogwarts if Minerva has a job for him.”

“I'm sure she will.”

“Who knows, maybe she even has a job for me as well?” I asked and suddenly, the idea wasn't even that bad anymore.

Her eyes widened. “You would become a teacher?”

“You can't imagine me as one?” I asked back.

She shook her head quickly. “No, it's not that. This is just... unexpected.” Slowly, a smile spread on her lips. “Professor Black. Sounds quite nice.”

I chuckled. “It does, right?”

We kissed each other again. This time, Hermione wasn't that hesitant anymore and ran her hands down my arms and back. When they arrived at the hem of my shirt, I raised my eyebrows. “Are you sure?” I asked, even if I really didn't want her to stop. Instead of answering my question, her hands wandered over my upper body under the shirt now.

After some time of kissing and touching, she drew back. “Maybe we should go downstairs and look for the others?” She asked and her cheeks were red. “Ron isn't feeling well. The loss of Lavender is weighing heavily on him.”

“I bet the others are still asleep.” I muttered, but when Hermione grabbed her clothes and left my room, I also searched for something to wear.

When I arrived in the kitchen, Harry, Ron and Hermione were already sitting at the table. It smelled good and I knew that Kreacher was cooking. “How are you feeling?” I asked them once I sat down.

“Better than in ages.” Harry replied with a smile.

“I could sleep for a few more days.” Ron muttered. “Those past days have been exhausting.”

“From now on, everything will get better.” Hermione stated.

“It's strange.” Harry said thoughtfully. “That it's all over now.”

“It was about time.” Ron noted. “This has controlled our lives for far too long.”

“True.” Harry agreed.

“I bet you don't know yet what you'll do from now on?” I asked and they both shook their heads.

“First, I just want a few days of peace.” Harry explained. “The future can wait.”

“I agree with that.” Ron said.

“And you?” Harry raised his eyebrows.

“I want to finish school. And Sirius has been offered a job at the Ministry.” Hermione said before I could stop her.

“Wow, that's great!” Harry grinned. “And what will you be going?”

I ran a hand through my hair. “Kingsley asked me to be head of the Auror Office. But I didn't say yes yet.”

“Why not?” Ron asked with a frown and Harry also stared at me.

I shrugged. “I don't have that much faith in the Ministry after everything that happened. I know that things will be different from now on, but I can't help it.”

“I know what you mean.” Harry muttered. “But with Kingsley as Minister of Magic, everything will get better. I'm sure of that.”

“Probably you're right.”

“Sirius also thought of teaching at Hogwarts.” Hermione threw in with a grin.

Now the boys really stared at me.

“I can't imagine you as a teacher.” Ron admitted.

“I can.” Harry said immediately. “Professor Black. Would sound good.”

I laughed. “I'm not sure what I'll do. I think I also need some time. It's still strange that I can do whatever I want with my life now.”

“I think we'll all get used to it very fast.” Hermione noted.

The rest of the day, we talked about different things. In the end, Harry told us what he saw in Snape's memories and what happened in the Forbidden Forest.

And the next morning, we returned to Hogwarts to help undoing the damage.


	78. Chapter 78

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter! I hope you like it, please let me know! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Hermione

“It will be fine, love. Just trust me.” Sirius said and reached out to take my hand.

I sighed. “I'm not sure. What if we don't find them? Or if it doesn't work?”

He smiled at me reassuringly. “It _will_ work.” In every other moment, I would have rolled my eyes at Sirius' never ending confidence, but not now. I was too nervous.

About a week had passed since the battle of Hogwarts. One week since Harry had defeated Voldemort. Slowly, everything was getting calmer again. Kingsley was Minister of Magic now and busy with undoing all the damage the Death Eaters had done. There were still a few Death Eaters on the run, but most of them had already been caught. Many people were still busy repairing the castle and the Order of the Phoenix was helping wherever they could. Just like so many others.

After one day of peace, Harry, Ron, Sirius and I had also started helping at Hogwarts. Kingsley offered us other tasks, but we were happy at the castle. We didn't need any more trouble right now. We've had enough of that for a lifetime. Since there was still so much to do, the new school year would start in September, many months away from now. Which left us lots of time to think of everything. Well, which left _me_ lots of time. Harry and Ron didn't want to return to school. Kingsley had offered them jobs at the Ministry and they'd agreed. However, Neville also wanted to finish school first. I was glad about it, even if I'd also have done it alone. Of course Luna and Ginny would also be there, but not in my year. I was curious who else would return. After everything that happened and all the people we'd lost in the war...

However, right now, Sirius and I didn't join Harry on his way to Hogwarts to help there. There was something else we needed to do.

We would go to Australia to find my parents. That's also why I was so nervous. I knew that Sirius was a master when it came to memory charms, but I feared that something would go wrong anyway. I missed my parents like crazy and the thought that they might never recognize me again hurt like hell.

“Hermione, look at me.” Sirius ripped me out of my thoughts and placed a hand on my cheek. When I looked into his grey eyes, my heartbeat started to calm down again. He always had this effect on me. “Everything will be fine, love. Trust me.” He repeated seriously.

“I always do.” I whispered and smiled at him. I touched the scar on his forehead carefully and he closed his eyes. There were more scars that the fight with Yaxley had left on him, but this one was the most obvious. It would take more time until his hair was long again, but then, no one would see it anymore. He'd been ready to sacrifice so much for us in the past months. Of course I trusted this man. I loved him with all my heart.

“I love you.” I whispered and leaned in to kiss him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer. My heart started to beat faster again, but this time, it wasn't because of concern.

“My Hermione.” Sirius muttered when he drew back far too soon. Then he stood up and held up his hand. “Come on, we have to leave.”

I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet. Our plan was to go to Australia for about a week. I wasn't feeling well with just leaving and letting the others do all the work where it was needed, but Sirius insisted that we should take a time off. Harry and Ron had urged me to go as well, they were convinced that I needed some time with Sirius. Most probably, they were right. Ever since we got together, we never had time for ourselves. There was always something in between. School, friends, a war. I was looking forward to a holiday.

However, first we had to find my parents and give them their memories back. And make sure that they could go back to England. In our house, everything was waiting for their return. I'd been there with Sirius the previous day and to my surprise, everything looked normal. If Death Eaters had been there, they'd hidden it very well.

“We should be back in one week.” Sirius told Kreacher, who was waiting next to our bags. “Tell Harry that he shouldn't destroy the house until then. But maybe he'll stay with the Weasley's, he wasn't so sure yet.”

After the first day back at Grimmauld Place, Ron had returned to the Burrow to be with his family. Harry was officially living with us in London now, but he also stayed at the Burrow from time to time. Ron was still sad because of Lavender's death and Harry supported his best friend. And of course Ginny was at the Burrow.

“Kreacher will wait for your return, Master Sirius.” Kreacher said and bowed.

Sirius smiled at the elf. It still surprised me that he was so nice to him now. Somehow, this made me love him even more.

“Come on, then. Otherwise, the Portkey will leave without us.” Sirius grinned.

The Portkey had been organized by the Minister of Magic himself. It would take us to a small village close to Newcastle. Some research had told us that Monica and Wendell Wilkins moved there last year. I still wasn't sure how Sirius got to know this. A few days ago, he just left with Fred and George and when they returned, they were all laughing and Sirius told me about the whereabouts of my parents. Harry and Ron suspected that they'd been at a Muggle office and got to know it there, but no one knew how they managed it. All our questions just led to more laughter. And very satisfied expressions on Fred's and George's faces.

Sirius pointed at a book that was lying on the table. I raised my eyebrows. “That's the Portkey?”

He nodded with a grin. “Fitting, isn't it?”

It was. The Portkey was a travel guide for Australia. “I thought you have bought that book.” I muttered.

“Nope.” Sirius shook his head. “That was Kingsley's idea.” He looked at his watch. “Are you ready?”

I nodded. Together, we reached for the book.

* * *

I didn't expect it to be so hot in Australia. And sunny. In London, the weather had been cold and rainy. Here, it was the opposite. Next to me, Sirius took off his leather jacket. Now he was just wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Only now I realized that I'd never seen him wearing short clothes at all. I also put my pullover into my bag. It was the same bag I'd used those past months when we'd been on the run.

“Beautiful here, isn't it?” Sirius asked and looked around. We were standing in the hills and in the distance, I could see a city and the ocean.

“It is.” I agreed. I was sure that my parents loved it here. “That's Newcastle?”

Sirius nodded. “If you don't want to walk, we can just apparate under the Invisibility Cloak.” He offered, but I shook my head.

“It's fine.”

It was still strange to walk through the nature together with Sirius like this. We were holding hands, just like a normal couple. Not people on the run in a war. So much had changed in one week. “Do you think the others will miss us?”

Sirius chuckled. “Always thinking about others. Why don't we just enjoy the moment?” He grinned. “And _I_ don't miss helping at the castle. Far too much dust for my liking.”

I rolled my eyes. “In the past months, I nearly forgot that you can be so ridiculous at times.” I noted. It was true. Sirius hadn't been this carefree in a very long time. Maybe not ever since I met him. Yes, he always joked around, but there had always been this tension in his shoulders...

He laughed. “You don't like that side of me?” He said it lightly, but I could see the hesitation in his eyes.

“I like every side of you.” I replied simply and kissed him. “Don't doubt that.”

“I didn't.”

“You did.” I argued softly. “I won't leave you just because this war is over now. I love you.”

He smiled at me. “That's good.”

I raised my eyebrows. “You really thought that?” Did he trust me so little?

“It's not that.” He said quickly. “I just...” He shrugged. “You've got your whole life ahead of you. You can do whatever you want, Hermione. I, on the other hand, have not that many possibilities. I'm old, remember?” He ran a hand through his hair. “I don't want to hold you back.”

I stared at him. “You're not holding me back.” I said, still shocked about his words. “Don't even think that! I never feel better than when I'm with you. And besides, you're not that old.” I smiled slightly. “You can also do whatever you want.”

He laughed. “I've spent most of your life in Azkaban. So yeah, not old.”

At this, my smile faltered. It was so easy to forget how much Sirius had suffered in his life. Most of the time, he just acted as if it didn't happen at all.

Of course he noticed my change of mood. He stopped walking and placed his hands on my shoulders. “Don't think about it. I'm fine.” He smiled softly. “I'm over it.” I knew that he still had bad dreams about that place and sometimes, he kept walking through the house restlessly all night, but I didn't mention it right now.

I sighed. “I just hate that everything was so difficult for you.”

“You also didn't have it easy.” He reminded me.

I huffed. “Not easy and being locked in for more than ten years is nothing you can compare!”

“We can't change the past.” Sirius said simply. It still surprised me how patient he was when it came to his past. It hadn't always been like this. I remembered the first months after Grimmauld Place became headquarter of the Order. How unhappy he'd been. The others had always feared an outburst from him. “But the future is something we can influence.” He continued. “I just don't want you to regret anything.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Why should I regret anything with you?”

“I'm a bad influence, remember? “He asked and I felt relieved when his grin returned. “So you really won't leave me, huh?”

I shook my head. “Not a chance. I know my mind quite well.”

Suddenly, he wrapped his arms around my waist and spun me around. I shrieked in surprise, but it turned to laughter very soon. “Don't do that again!” I muttered once he let me go again.

“I won't promise that!” He said mischievously and winked at me.

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, ridiculous.” I tool his hand. “But I love it. Just like every side of you.”

The rest of the walk, we didn't talk about this anymore. Sirius was just so happy and it made me smile as well. Even if my worry because of my parents grew with every step we got closer to our destination.

Sirius knew exactly where we had to go. When we arrived, I breathed in shakily. They lived in a small, white house which looked similar to our own. The garden was beautiful and I could see the favorite flowers of my mother growing there.

We stopped in front of the gate and Sirius looked at me questioningly. “Are you ready?”

“No.” I muttered and breathed in deeply. “Let's do this.”

He squeezed my hand and together, we walked to the door. Monica and Wendell Wilkins, the sign on it said. Sirius glanced at me again before he rang the bell. We took a step back and waited. “Just remember, I only need a few moments in which they are distracted.” Sirius muttered and looked around to make sure that no one saw us entering the house.

When the door opened, I inhaled sharply. My mother was smiling widely, but when she saw us, it was replaced by a frown. I knew that it shouldn't hurt so much since I knew that she didn't remember me, but the pain in my chest wouldn't go away.

“Hello.” Jean Granger said and smiled politely.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Wilkins.” Sirius replied immediately, but another voice inside the house interrupted him.

“Monica, dear, who is it?” The voice of my father nearly made me flinch, but Sirius wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. Then my father appeared in the doorway and smiled at us. When his eyes landed on me, he frowned. “Do we know each other? You look familiar.”

“We are new in the neighborhood.” Sirius said quickly. “And wanted to say hello. My name is Sirius and this is my girlfriend, Hermione. We moved in last week, just around the next corner.” He pointed to our right and smiled his most charming smile at my parents.

“We don't know anyone here yet and thought it would be a good idea to say hello to some people.” I added with a smile.

My mother looked at us curiously. “Are you from Great Britain?” She asked curiously. “You have an accent.” She said towards Sirius when we both looked at her in surprise. Then my mother chuckled. “Don't look so surprised. We're also not from here. We moved to Australia last year.”

“Until now, we were the new ones in the neighborhood.” My father joked. “Now it's your turn!”

Sirius grinned and ran a hand through his hair. “Well, seems so. But I think we'll manage that.”

“Wendell! Don't be so mean to them!” My mother scolded him. Then she turned to us again. “Do you want to come in? It's nearly tea time.”

We exchanged a look, trying to look hesitant. “We don't want to bother you.” Sirius said.

“Oh dead, no! You won't bother us! Now come in.” They nearly dragged us into their house and I exchanged a look with Sirius. Could it really be this easy?

My mother was already on her way to the kitchen to get the tea. Sirius joined her quickly, offering to help with it. In the meantime, my dad showed me their house. I had to swallow. It looked so similar and yet so different to our home. Suddenly, my eyes began to burn and I knew that I was about to cry. I tried to blink away the tears.

“Are you all right?” My father asked and I nodded.

“I think something flew into my eye.” I lied and tried to smile. We sat down and he began to tell me stories about the other neighbors and how they decided to go to Australia when Sirius and my mother returned. My mother sat down next to my father and gestured for Sirius to sit down as well, but he smiled apologetically. “I'll be right back, I just forgot something in my jacket.” He pretended to leave the room, but I saw that he drew his wand.

“So why did you move here, Hermione?” My mother asked.

“We came here on a vacation.” I began to talk. “And thought that it was so beautiful here. That's why we decided to come back.”

“It is beautiful, isn't it?”

I nodded, but it was directed at Sirius who was standing in the doorway, waiting for my sign to go on. I knew he had to do it now. I couldn't stand this conversation with my parents much longer. “It's great here.” I said loudly and hoped that they wouldn't hear his footsteps. “And you've got such a beautiful house.”

“Thank you, dear.” My mother said.

Sirius pointed at them with his wand. “ _Obliviate_.” He muttered and then the expressions of my parents went blank at once.

I watched them anxiously, knowing that Sirius had to concentrate now. I knew how complicated that spell was and the slightest distraction could easily -

“Hermione?” My father asked in confusion and frowned at me. “Hermione, what are you doing here?” He looked around and his frown deepened. “And where are we?” He looked at me as if I had all the answers in the world and that's what did it. I couldn't hold back the sob any longer and began to cry.

My mother was on her feet immediately and wrapped her arms around me. “What's wrong, dear? You don't have to cry.”

“I'm just... so happy to see you!” I choked out and more tears followed. “I've missed you.”

“Don't cry, sweetheart.” Now my father was also next to me and touched my hand. When he looked around again, his eyes landed on Sirius. He was leaning on the doorframe again, a soft smile on his lips. The wand was still in his hand.

“Good to have you back, Mr. and Mrs. Granger.” Sirius said.

“What... Sirius? Sirius Black?” Dad shook his head in confusion. “But... wasn't your hair longer? And where's the beard?”

“We told you to call us Jean and Patrick!” My mother threw in and turned to me. “What's going on?”

I exchanged a look with Sirius. “That's a long story.”

* * *

“Wait, so you changed our memories and made us go to Australia because you thought that we were in danger. Then you packed all your things and were on the run _for months_ with Harry, Ron and Sirius? You _risked your life_ several times, but in the end, you won the war? The war we didn't even know about?” My father repeated what we'd just told him incredulously.

I nodded. “Yes, that's the short version.” I'd known all along that there was no way to hide the truth from them anymore once they got their memories back. So Sirius and I had told them everything about the war with Voldemort and what we'd been doing. Of course not all the details, just the basics. Played down very much. I didn't want to scare my parents more than necessary. “I had to keep you safe. There was no other way.”

“You could have talked to us.” My father sounded hurt.

“You wouldn't have been safe at home.” Sirius threw in. “The Death Eaters were there to look for you.”

“There would have been another way.” My mother sounded sure of that.

“I thought of all the possibilities, mum.” I muttered. “This was the best option.”

“It doesn't matter anymore.” Dad decided suddenly. “All that's important is that we're back together. And that you're all right, Hermione.” He smiled and his eyes wandered to Sirius. “And all your friends.”

Sirius took my hand and squeezed it. He grinned at me. 'I told you so', his expression said. I leaned against him and closed my eyes. Yes, he'd been right.

“How on earth should we get back home?” Mum asked now, but I didn't listen to the conversation anymore. Right now, I was just happy to have my parents back.

* * *

“Wow, this is our room?” I asked two days later. My parents were already on their way back to England, but Sirius and I would stay in Australia for a few more days.

Sirius nodded with a grin. “Do you like it?”

“I love it.” I whispered and walked to the window. We were in a small village far away from all the big cities. It was very close to the ocean and all the inhabitants were witches or wizards. This place had been recommended in the travel guide Kingsley gave us and right now, I was glad that he'd given us the book. From our room, we could see the ocean. It was a beautiful sight. We would stay here for two days before we'd also have a look at another place. Sirius had suggested just to take the tent and travel from place to place, but I had enough of tents for my life. I wanted to sleep in a real bed every night.

I turned around to smile at Sirius and was surprised to see him standing right in front of me. “The view is beautiful.” He agreed quietly. “But nothing compared to you.”

I held my breath when I saw the look on his face. It was so full of love that it made my heart beat faster. However, there was something else I didn't recognize first. But when he took a step towards me and wrapped his arms around my waist with an urgency that was unusual for him, I realized what it was. It was _want_. And until this moment I didn't realize that I wanted him too.

He guided me towards the bed carefully and when I laid down on my back, he hesitated. I smiled widely. “Come here!” I was surprised at how commanding my voice sounded, but it seemed to thrill Sirius. He grinned when he moved closer slowly and his eyes were shining.

And then he was kneeling right above me and kissed me softly. “I love you.” He whispered.

“I love you too.” I replied and pulled him even closer. He inhaled sharply. I laughed. This time, I didn't hesitate to shove my hands under his shirt.

“Hermione.” He muttered between kisses and stopped suddenly. His hands had started to wander over my body as well, but he held himself back. “Are you sure?”

I nodded. “I've never been more sure.” I whispered. “Now come here.”

He chuckled. “Always so commanding.” He muttered and kissed me again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, I thought after all this trouble in their lives, the two of them needed some personal time! Who agrees? :)


	79. Chapter 79

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've nearly reached the end of this story! It was such an amazing journey, it kind of makes me sad that there's only one chapter left. I know you on ao3 didn't travel the whole way with me since I only posted that story recently. But on ff.net, I have readers who are with me since July 2014. That's an amazing feeling. While writing this story, so much in my life has changed. I finished school, moved to another city all alone, finished university and now everything's different! 
> 
> I hope some of you also enjoyed reading this story here! All the editing has been quite the job, but it had to be done. Please let me know what you think of this chapter! That would be awesome! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

Sirius

“I don't know what to wear!” Hermione complained loudly. “It's horrible!”

I exchanged a look with Harry. “Didn't she already decide that yesterday?” He asked with a frown.

I nodded. “Yes, but apparently, she isn't happy with that choice anymore. I'll see if I can help.” I smiled slightly and met Hermione upstairs in my room. She was looking at two dresses that were lying on the bed skeptically. “Everything all right here?” I asked and she turned around.

“No.” She said. “We have to leave soon and I'm still not sure about these.” One dress was blue and the other one in a very nice shade of rose.

“I thought you wanted to war the red one.” I stated.

“I did.” Hermione agreed with a sigh. “It just... doesn't feel like me.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I'm being stupid, I know.”

I shook my head. “If you don't feel comfortable with it, then just wear something else.” I smiled. “You're beautiful in everything.”

She laughed shortly. “You always say that. But...”

“Before, you've never cared about clothes. What's different now?” I asked curiously and took her hands.

Hermione hesitated. “Today we'll celebrate that we won the war. You know that everyone thinks about us as heroes. And I feel like I should look special today. The people are having so many expectations -”

“And since when do you care about that?” I interrupted her softly.

She sighed. “I don't know. It's just lots of pressure.”

“You're overthinking. Just do whatever you want. This isn't about anyone else. _You_ have to be happy with your choices.” I grinned. “Even if it's such a simple thing as clothes.”

Slowly, a smile spread on her lips. “I am happy.” She pulled me closer and kissed me. “Very happy, to be exact.”

I chuckled against her lips. “That's good.”

When we pulled back, Hermione looked at me more closely. My hair was growing again, but it was still far too short for my liking. However, I'd let the beard grow again. This made me look a little more like my old self again. I was wearing jeans and a dark blue button down shirt. She smiled. “You're really handsome.”

I laughed. “You won't stop emphasizing that. So now come on, wear the white blouse you like so much and let's go.”

She hesitated again and I grinned. “If I can go there in jeans and a shirt, you can also do that. You should see Harry.”

“He doesn't wear his favorite pullover, does he?” She asked while she started to look for her blouse in the wardrobe.

“Only one way to find out.” I was still grinning.

Five minutes later, we entered the kitchen, ready to leave. Harry wasn't wearing a jumper. He'd settled for a grey shirt. When he saw us, he grinned. “Finally! What took you so long, Hermione?”

She turned away to hide her blush. “I just couldn't decide what to wear, that happens.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “As if you'd ever cared for your looks.” He stood up. “It's time to leave. Otherwise, we'll be late.”

“Have you decided if you want to make that speech?” Hermione asked.

Harry hesitated. “Everyone expects me to say something, but I'm not so sure. What if I don't find the right words?”

“You will find them.” I placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled encouragingly. “But I'm sure that Kingsley won't force you to do anything. Either you get in front of the crowd and say something or you won't. It's up to you.”

Harry nodded and relaxed. “Ron also said that.”

“He's right about that.” I said when we went to the fireplace. “And now stop worrying and let's have some fun!”

* * *

The party was taking place outside. It was a beautiful day in the summer and by now, the whole castle looked as if nothing had happened at all again. Just like most signs of Voldemort and the Death Eaters had been erased. Thanks to Kingsley, the Ministry was also getting more popular with each day. Slowly, everything was getting better.

There were many tables and I was impressed by all the decorations. I knew that a few others had helped Minerva and the other teachers with it, but I didn't expect anything so festive. When we talked towards the lake where everything was located, so many memories came to my mind.

I saw myself sitting close to the lake together with James, Remus and Peter. Those had been simpler days. Most of the time, Remus and Peter tried to learn while James and I did stupid things. Or they watched us. We'd also been sitting there so many times while working on the Marauder's Map. We had been happy then. Also our trips through the castle at night, or those several nights in the Shrieking Shack. Things had been good then.

And I also had other memories of that place. Those which weren't connected to pain. Because James was gone for so long now and he would never come back. Just like Peter, even if he'd make far too many wrong decisions in his life. I could never forgive him. I knew that Remus thought the same. We'd talked very much in the past months.

I also remembered the times with Harry, Hermione and Ron. Sometimes, we'd been doing nothing at all. Or talking about Harry's several lessons with Albus Dumbledore. Or the school in general. I wouldn't say that it had been simple times, but good ones at any rate.

“What are you thinking?” Hermione whispered and took me back to reality.

“I've been sitting there countless times, right under that tree.” I said and smiled slightly. “The good old times.”

Her expression softened and she squeezed my hand. “I bet James would have been proud of you.”

“He would.” A voice behind our backs said and I didn't have to turn around to know that it was Remus. “I'm sure of that.”

He was smiling at us. Next to him stood Tonks and Teddy was in her arms. Harry and Hermione walked to her immediately to say hello to the little boy. However, I remained standing next to Remus and hugged my best friend. “He would have also been proud of you. You've got a family now.”

Remus smiled. It was the first time in years that he looked completely carefree. “I couldn't be happier.” He agreed.

“Sirius, Remus!” This time, it was Kingsley who called us.

I grinned and bowed. “Minister.”

When I looked up again, he rolled his eyes. “Stop making fun of me, Black.” He grinned.

I laughed. “All right, Kingsley.” We shook hands. “It's good to see you again. How are things at the Ministry?”

“Everything is fine. They want me to stay Minister of Magic.” He explained.

“That would be a good choice.” Remus noted. “You have already done so many good things. I know that there's much more you can achieve.”

“I have good people by my side.” Kingsley said with a smile. “I'm not doing everything alone.”

“I know.” This time, Remus glanced at Tonks.

“We still need someone who would take over the Auror Office.” This time, it was directed at me. “Have you thought about it again?” I had. Very much, to be exact. However, even after months, I still wasn't sure if I wanted to spend my life working at the Ministry of Magic. I didn't have many good memories connected to that place.

“Give me some more time.” I ran a hand through my hair.

Kingsley sighed. “You have to make a decision, Sirius. Harry and Ron will also start there soon.” He didn't wait for my reply. Instead, he turned to Remus. “You'll be teaching at Hogwarts?”

Remus nodded. “Transfiguration. Since Minerva is Headmistress now, she won't be able to do it anymore. I think it will be nice to teach again. Even if I only had that post for one year, it had been a great experience.” He looked at me meaningfully and I grinned.

“You mean except for all the Dementors, the Grim and a certain rat?”

Remus smiled slightly. “Something like that.”

Years later, we could both laugh about all the events that had taken place back then. Even if it hadn't been nice at all at that time.

“Why are you standing here all alone?” Fred and George asked at the same time. They were walking towards us, followed by Ginny and Ron. However, they both turned towards Harry. Ginny kissed her boyfriend while Ron placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

“You should be celebrating!” Fred continued. “After all, today's the day!” They both had a mischievous gleam in their eyes which made me suspicious immediately.

“What did you do?” I asked curiously.

Next to me, Remus raised his eyebrows.

The twins exchanged a look. “Why do you think that we did something?” George demanded to know.

“I've been your teacher once.” Remus noted with a slight smile. “And Sirius is also a troublemaker, they always see when something else is going on.”

“I'm not a troublemaker!” I complained, but Remus just ignored me.

We didn't have to wait for the answer to my question. Somewhere in the crowd, people cried out and then sparks were flying through the air. They all caused small explosions which resulted in butterflies of all colors. Soon, the shocked cries turned to excited ones.

“Does that answer your question?” Fred asked with a wide grin on his lips.

“That's beautiful.” I noted.

“Our own invention.” They said proudly. “Took us some time to figure out the right spell. First, we always set the curtains on fire.”

“Fred! George!” Molly's angry cry sounded not too far away from us. “You set my handbag on fire!”

“And my brand new cloak!” Percy added loudly.

The twins exchanged wide-eyed looks. “You didn't see us!” Fred hissed and together, they vanished in the crowd. Only seconds later, Molly and Percy ran towards us. Percy's cloak was still smoking and I pointed at it with my wand.

“Where are they?” Molly demanded to know.

Percy smiled at me gratefully, but his expression turned serious again soon. “You saw them, didn't you?”

“They ran this way.” Remus said and pointed in the opposite direction of where Fred and George vanished. The look on his face was completely serious, but I knew him well enough to see the mischievous gleam in his eyes. He thought this was highly amusing and I could silently agree.

They looked at us suspiciously. However, Kingsley also nodded seriously and then Molly and Percy left. We were silent for a few more moments, but when it became obvious that Molly and Percy wouldn't return soon, I laughed loudly.

“What's so funny?” Hermione appeared next to me, a curious look on her face.

“Fred and George might have set something on fire with their new trick.” I explained and wrapped my arms around her.

“The butterfly thing?” Ron asked and we nodded. “They always set the curtains in their shop on fire with it!” He chuckled. “However, they were sure that it would work today.”

“Seems like it didn't.” Ginny noted and next to her, Harry was grinning widely. Then Tonks also joined our small circle. In her arms, Teddy was asleep, but I doubted that it would last long. That child had far too much energy.

It was a very nice day. We talked very much and many other people joined us. Everyone who could come was there. All the Weasley's, most members of the Order of the Phoenix, which still existed, even if no one hoped that it would be needed again in times of war. Many students or former students were there and Harry, Ron and Hermione met many people they knew. They introduced me to many of them, but soon, I just stopped trying to remember their names. The biggest surprise of the day was Draco Malfoy. He joined the party rather hesitantly, but once they saw him, Hermione and Harry went to talk to him. Then he relaxed and after some time, others joined their conversation as well. I tried to figure out why Harry and Hermione would talk to him, but I didn't get it.

When they joined us again, I voiced my thoughts. “I don't blame him for anything that happened.” Hermione said. “He was a victim of all this.”

“Everyone deserves a second chance.” Harry muttered thoughtfully. There was a absent-minded look on his face and I could guess what he was thinking. We'd all been wrong about Severus Snape. So why not also Draco Malfoy? I looked over my shoulder. To my surprise, he was talking to Neville and Luna now. Didn't the others say that Draco always bullied Neville?

“Look, there's Aberforth!” Hermione said suddenly. “And Dobby!”

This caught Harry's attention. “I'll go to them, I'll be back soon.” He kissed Ginny on the cheek and vanished in the crowd.

“Ah, there you are!” Another voice called. “Hermione, I wanted to talk to you.” Arthur said when he stopped next to her. “I've heard something very exciting at the Ministry the other day. Apparently, the Muggles have invented something called internet?”

Hermione looked at him in surprise, but nodded. “Yes, that's true.” She agreed. “My parents showed it to me the other day.”

“That's fascinating. How does it work? Is it some kind of magic?” Arthur asked curiously and soon, they were busy talking about Muggles and technology. Since Remus was busy with Tonks and Teddy now, I got a moment of peace. It was good to see everyone again, but a little quiet would also be nice after a day full of conversations.

Someone touched my arm carefully. “Would you like to go for a walk?” Minerva McGonagall asked and I smiled at her gratefully. I told Hermione that I'd be right back and together, Minerva and I walked towards the lake. “You looked like you could use a time off.” She noted.

I chuckled. “That's true. Slowly, it was getting exhausting.” I raised my eyebrows. “But I'm sure you didn't just want to rescue me from the party, Minerva?”

She smiled. “No, indeed, I wanted to talk to you.” Ever since she'd become headmistress, Minerva had been really busy. We'd barely seen her at the Order meetings. “When you were younger, you were a real troublemaker, Sirius.”

“That's the second time someone mentions it today.” I muttered which made Minerva laugh.

“It wasn't meant as an insult.” She threw in quickly. “I've had far more difficult students in my time here at Hogwarts.”

“Which implies that we've been difficult as well.” I noted with a slight smile.

She looked amused now. “You've changed. When I look at you now, I barely recognize the boy you've been so many years ago.” Suddenly, her expression turned serious. “I know that you didn't have an easy life. All those events have shaped you.”

I looked at her patiently, trying to figure out what she wanted to say. “As you know, Remus will start teaching at Hogwarts in September.”

I nodded. “Transfiguration.”

“Horace will also join us again as Potions Master. Filius will teach Charms once more. In fact, most of the teachers will return. Only one post is still free. And that's Defense Against the Dark Arts.” She smiled and there was a gleam in her eyes. “And we need a new Head for Gryffindor. As headmistress, I can't do it anymore.” 

I stared at her. “What are you saying?” Defense Against the Dark Arts? They needed someone as Head of Gryffindor? 

“I know that Kingsley has offered you a job at the Ministry. Everyone expected you to agree to being head of the Auror Office immediately. Yet you hesitated. Even now, months later, you didn't make a decision.” Minerva looked at me attentively. “It seems like you don't want to work there.” 

“Am I that easy to see through?” I asked and ran a hand through my hair. 

She shook her head. “Everyone knows that you don't have many good memories connected to the Ministry of Magic.” She explained. “You don't want to work there, do you?” 

“When they would have asked me the same questions right after we'd finished school, I would have accepted the job immediately. But now things are different. I want to do something good in my life.” 

“That's what Aurors do.” Minerva said. 

“I've had enough of trouble and fighting for a lifetime.” I muttered. “I don't think that I could stand that for a long time. Harry and Ron will be happy there, I know it. But I'm done with it.” Only in this moment, I realized how true those words were. The past months, I'd been struggling to make a decision, but I'd always been undecided. Right now, everything was perfectly clear. 

“Then it's good that I can offer you a different job. I would have never thought that I'd say this one day, but I think you would be a good teacher, Sirius Black.” She looked completely serious when she said this. “The post as teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts could be yours. And you would be the perfect Head of Gryffindor.” 

“What about Hermione? She'll also return to Hogwarts.” Could I really be her teacher? 

“I trust you to keep it professional in the lessons. And if it makes you feel better, I think that Remus will also do the exams for Defense Against the Dark Arts with her, if she has any desire to continue with that subject. From our conversations in the past weeks, I assumed that she wants to concentrate on other things.” Minerva smiled widely. “So what do you say? How would Professor Black sound to you?” 

“If James would still be here, he wouldn't stop making fun of me now.” I muttered with a grin. “All right, I'll do it.” 

Minerva smiled at me. “That's great. I expect you to be at the castle two weeks before the year starts. And now let us go back to the others. There will be a few speeches. In fact, don't want to be too late to my own.” She winked at me. “I'm holding the first one.” 

* * *

“That was a great speech!” I told Harry proudly. 

He shrugged. “First, I was really nervous. But soon, it was getting better.” 

“You were really good.” Hermione agreed and leaned against me. It was in the afternoon and Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were sitting in the grass under the tree close to the lake. Not too far away from us, people were still celebrating, but we all had enough of it, which was why we'd decided to search for a quieter place. 

“' _ Let's all stand together and make the world a better place. It's up to us. Together, we can do this _ .' I liked that part.” Ron quoted his best friend with a grin. 

“Because it's true. I believe in that.” Harry said simply. “After all that's happened, I realized something.” He looked at all of us. “When you've got good friends – no, your family – by your side, you can do everything.” 

I smiled widely. “I like the sound of that.” 

“Me too.” Hermione smiled at me and I leaned in to kiss her softly. When we drew back, she raised her eyebrows. “You talked to McGonagall earlier.” 

When I nodded, Harry looked at me curiously. “What did she want?” 

“Even years later, you're still too curious for your own good.” I muttered with a smile. “She offered me a job.” 

“A job?” Ron asked incredulously. “At Hogwarts?” 

“They still need a teacher for Defense Against the Dark Arts.” I explained. “And a Head of Gryffindor.” 

“She offered that post to you?” The excitement in Hermione's voice was hard to miss. “What did you say?” She'd known about my doubts concerning the job at the Ministry all along. 

I grinned. “Do you think you can manage calling me Professor Black at school for the next year?” 

They all stared at me. “You said yes?!” Hermione shrieked. 

“You as a teacher at Hogwarts?” Harry looked at me wide-eyed, but there was a grin on his lips. “I'd love to see that!” 

“Especially since Remus will also be teaching there!” Ron noted. “That will be an awesome year! Maybe we should have returned after all.” 

Harry laughed. “It would end in chaos with us there.” 

I pulled Hermione closer. “What are you thinking?” I whispered into her ear and began to draw patterns on her arm with my free hand. 

“I always knew that you wouldn't accept Kingsley's offer.” She explained quietly. Ron and Harry were still speculation how another year at Hogwarts would turn out. “I'm happy for you. I bet you'll be a good teacher. Now I regret not continuing Defense Against the Dark Arts.” 

“You won't?” I asked and raised my eyebrows. 

She shook her head. “I've had enough of that for a lifetime. I think the last year has proven that I'm good enough at this. I want to focus on other things.” 

I smiled. “The last  _ years _ , love. You've always been brilliant.” 

She grinned and leaned closer to me to make sure that Harry and Ron couldn't hear her next words. “Well, then,  _ Professor _ Black. What do you think, how big is the chance that I might manage to sneak into your rooms every night for the next year?” 

“I still have the Invisibility Cloak.” I muttered and kissed her.

“I love you.” She whispered.

“I love you too. More than anything.”

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the moment. Harry and Ron were still talking quietly and Hermione joined their conversation soon. This time, it was about the future. Their plans, hopes and fears. I listened but didn't say very much.

So many things had happened in my life and not many of them had been happy. But this would change now. We had the possibility to decide what we wanted to do. And that was good.

The sound of footsteps distracted me. I opened my eyes, but the others hadn't noticed that someone was approaching us yet. It was Remus and he sat down next to me in the grass. The others greeted him but continued with their conversation. They knew that he was here for me. Now all the important people in my life were there.

“It's a beautiful night, isn't it?” Remus asked.

“It is.” I agreed with a smile.

“Just like the good old times.” He noted with a smile. “We've been out here more nights than I could count.”

“And you were always afraid that we'd get caught.” I muttered. “We never did.”

“I should have had more faith in you.” He said thoughtfully.

“Do you think they're watching us? James and Lily?” I asked.

He nodded. “They were.”

“I bet they would have found it highly amusing that we're both going to teach here.”

Remus chuckled. “James wouldn't have stopped mocking us.”

“He would have said that being a teacher really makes us old.”

“We _are_ old, Padfoot.”

“Not yet.” I disagreed. “We've still got so much ahead of us.” At this, I tightened my grip around Hermione's waist. “Just wait and see, Moony. The future will be good.”

I remembered another time those words had been said, far too many years ago. In our last year at Hogwarts, the night after the exams, we'd also been sitting outside. James, Peter, Remus and I. Peter had told us about his worries concerning the future. Something we all didn't share.

“ _Just wait and see. The future will be good. There are so many things ahead of us. But one thing will never change. Do you know what it is_?” James' eyes had been shining when he'd asked the question.

“ _I'm sure you'll tell us the answer soon, Prongs._ ” I'd replied with a grin.

“ _We're the Marauders. We're a team. And we'll always find our way back together._ ” Back then, we'd just laughed at James' optimism. But now I couldn't help feeling sad. Not all of us would find their way back to each other.

Then I glanced at Remus and saw that he was smiling at me. Somehow, I knew that he remembered the same night I did. We both looked up at the stars, just like we'd done it so many years ago.

This time, I knew that everything would be all right.

Next to us, Harry, Ron and Hermione laughed at something one of them said.

 _Yes_ , I thought to myself. _Everything will be all right._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Sirius gets all sentimental here, but so do I! It's like I'm finishing a part of my life, after all, this has accompanied me for nearly seven years!


	80. Chapter 80

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter of this story! I hope you like it, please let me know! It would be awesome to hear your thoughts about it. Writing this story has been so amazing! 
> 
> I don't own the characters or places!

_Fifteen years later_

Sirius

“To next week, I want you all to write an essay about the right way to use a Patronus. And of course don't forget to mention why it can be important. If they are good, I might even show you how to use a Patronus to deliver messages. It can be very helpful.” I winked at the class and ignored all the heavy sighs and annoyed groans. I might be the coolest teacher at Hogwarts, but that didn't mean that my students didn't have to show me good results. I collected my things and walked towards the door.

“Professor Black?” A girl asked when I walked past her. It was Madeleine, Prefect of Gryffindor in her seventh year at Hogwarts. “I was wondering if we could throw a party in the Gryffindor common room after the tests at the end of this year?” She looked at me hopefully and all around us, other Gryffindor's stopped to listen to our conversation.

I smiled. “That depends.” I said simply.

“On what?” She asked carefully. Normally, she wasn't a shy girl, but she had great respect for all the teachers.

I raised an eyebrow. “Will I be invited?”

At this, she relaxed again and a few people chuckled. Madeleine sounded rather breathless. “Of course, sir.”

“And what about Professor Lupin?” I asked.

“We would never forget him.” Madeleine assured me. All the Gryffindor's loved Remus. It was rumored that he was one of their favorite teachers. Next to myself, of course.

“That's good.” I nodded slowly. “And...?” Now I raised both eyebrows slowly.

“Of course we will also invite Ma'am Black. Professor Black, I mean.” Madeleine corrected herself quickly and blushed.

I nodded in satisfaction. “That's great! Let me know when you want to do it and what you need. I will help with the preparations if I'm not busy at that time.” I declared with a grin.

All around, the students nodded in agreement and I even heard the first ones starting to plan everything. With a smile, I left the classroom.

Just to run into another person. “I'm so sorry, I didn't see you -” The boy stopped when he realized who was standing in front of him. Right now, he had brown hair, but I knew that it wasn't always like this. The last time I'd seen him, it had been blue. “Uncle Sirius!” Teddy Lupin cried out and grinned at me.

“Didn't we agree that it's Professor Black at school?” I chuckled and hugged Remus' son. “What are you up to? Running through the school like this? You could have run into someone else and I bet they wouldn't take it this lightly.”

Teddy looked over his shoulder and he tensed. “I was just -”

“There he is!” Someone else shouted and I heard footsteps getting closer. The seventh years who'd just left my classroom jumped out of the way quickly when two children came running towards us. They were first years.

“Oh no.” Teddy muttered next to me.

“I see that you've just lost a game because of me.” I couldn't keep the amusement from my voice.

“Teddy!” The boy cried loudly, but the girl was a little more hesitant. When they recognized me, they both stopped.

The boy was very small, even for his age. He had black, messy hair and brown eyes. When he saw me, he smiled sheepishly. “Uncle Sirius! I mean Professor Black.” He corrected himself quickly when he noticed his mistake. Next to him, the girl didn't say anything. She was a little taller than the boy, with black locks and grey eyes.

I crossed my arms. “You know that you shouldn't be running through the castle like this.” I said loudly. “As your Head of House, I have to warn you that this might cause trouble if you're not careful enough.”

They exchanged a look and didn't say anything.

“You can be lucky that you just ran into me.” I smiled slightly. “I bet Professor McGonagall wouldn't be too happy if you'd met her. Or Professor Flitwick.” They were both getting older and slowly, the young students full of energy were getting difficult to handle for them.

“However, you didn't meet them.” I continued and the faces of the children lit up. “You're here with me now. Ted Lupin, they will give you fifteen seconds to continue running away. Take the way outside, it shouldn't be that crowded there.” Then I turned to the two others. “James Potter, Lily Black, try not to cause too much trouble.”

“Of course, uncle Sirius.” James said with a wide smile.

“Thank you, dad.” Lily agreed.

I grinned at my godson and daughter. “Don't be late for dinner.” The next words were directed at Lily. “Otherwise, your mother will be mad at me again. And don't get all dirty. I've told you the right spell to clean up that mess thousands of times by now!”

She nodded eagerly. “This time, I'll get it right.”

“Of course you will.” After all, she was just as brilliant as her mother. However, Hermione used to emphasize that she had that from me. Just like the tendency to do stupid things. Lily hugged me tightly and then I gave Teddy the sign to continue running.

When the three of them were gone, I heard someone chuckling behind me. I didn't turn around. “What's so funny, Moony?”

“I can't believe that students think you're strict, Pads.” Remus voice echoed through the now empty hallway.

I turned to him and shrugged. “I have high expectations in their lessons.”

“Which is only good. They all learn very much from you.” Remus noted.

“However, I never claimed to be a good teacher outside of the classroom!”

We both laughed and started to walk towards the Great Hall. “They are feeling very well here in the castle.” I knew that he meant James and Lily.

I nodded. “Did you expect something else?”

He shook his head. “Of course not.”

“We're invited to a party.” I told him. “The seventh years want to celebrate after the exams.”

Remus grinned. “You could make a tradition of that.”

“Good idea.” I muttered.

“What's a good idea?” Another voice asked. “And please don't tell me that you let Lily go outside to play again. She has to learn for the exams! Especially when we'll visit the Burrow this weekend.”

“She doesn't have to learn. She's brilliant and she can already perform every spell that's necessary for the exams.” I threw in lightly. “Let her have some fun, love.”

Hermione was looking at me through narrowed eyes, but she didn't say anything. I walked towards her and took her hands. “She'll be fine.”

After a few more moments, Hermione nodded with a sigh. “I know. It's just...”

“You can't always worry about her.” I reminded her softly. “That's not how it works. Otherwise, I would have died of concern when you were still at school.” Now I couldn't stop myself from grinning and Hermione rolled her eyes. She opened her mouth to say something, but I just silenced her with a kiss. “Stop worrying, Mrs. Black.”

“I'm not worried.” She argued.

“You are.” I leaned closer to her. “Tonight, I'll make you forget about all of it.”

Even after all those years, she blushed. I laughed. “Come on, let's go to the Great Hall. Let the children have fun. Tomorrow, we'll go to the Burrow and then you'll see Harry, Ron and all the others again. Isn't that great?”

She nodded. On my other side, Remus smiled. “We'll also come.” He told Hermione. “Molly has invited us.”

“That's great!” She exclaimed.

We'd nearly reached the Great Hall when a voice behind us called. “Professor Black!” At once, Hermione and I turned around to face the boy who was running towards us. At this reaction, he froze.

I exchanged a look with Hermione and chuckled. Behind us, Remus also laughed softly. It was still difficult that two Professor Black's were running through Hogwarts. That's why most of the students were calling Hermione Ma'am Black. When she'd started teaching here about ten years ago, a few students had started this and by now, it was kind of normal. First, she didn't like it, but she got used to it soon. I'd known that it might not be easy when I urged her to take my last name after the wedding, but I wouldn't have it any other way.

“I'm sorry.” The boy muttered now. He looked at me. “I want to talk to you, Professor Black. Sorry Ma'am.” He muttered with a side glance at Hermione.

Hermione smiled. “It's fine. You just caught me off guard, Trevor.”

“So what do you want to talk about?” I asked the boy.

He had a question about the homework I gave the second years. While we talked, Remus already walked to the Great Hall, but Hermione waited for me.

“Thank you so much!” Trevor said with a smile and left.

I raised my eyebrows at Hermione. “You didn't have to wait for me.”

“I did.” She said. “Now come on, let's go for a walk. We still have some time until dinner.” She held out her hand and I took it. Together, we left the castle. In the distance, I could see three kids running around, laughing happily.

“They're growing up so fast.” Hermione whispered.

I nodded. “Soon, Albus will also come to Hogwarts.” Albus Severus was Harry's and Ginny's younger son.

“In two years.” Hermione reminded me. “That's still some time.”

“Time has a way of passing too fast when you're happy.” I noted and wrapped my arms around her waist.

“That's true.” She agreed. “He reminds you of him, doesn't he? James.”

I nodded. “Even more than Harry. I never thought that it would be possible. Remus also sees it every time he looks at him.”

Hermione turned around in my arms and smiled at me. “I love you.” She whispered.

“I love you too.” I kissed her softly.

“Ginny wrote me a letter.” Hermione said slowly. “It will be a girl. They wanted to name her Lily, but we were faster.”

I chuckled. “Only about eleven years.” Actually, Harry and Ginny didn't plan to have a third child. However, it just happened and now they were both happy about it.

“Lily looks like you.” As always when she was speaking of our daughter, Hermione's voice was soft.

“She has your hair.” I muttered. We'd had this discussion millions of times in the past years. “I don't have that many curls.”

Hermione laughed. “That's true.” She ran a hand through my hair. After the war, I'd let it grow again and ever since, I kept it like that. Hermione liked it, that was all that mattered. “I caught Lily and James talking about Animagi this morning.”

I chuckled. “It was just a matter of time.”

“They're too young for that.” Hermione protested.

“They are. But in a few years, I could help them with it.” Suddenly, I felt excited about that.

“They would just cause more trouble. It's bad enough now. And James doesn't even have Harry's Invisibility Cloak yet!” Harry still needed it at his job as Head of the Auror Office.

“ _You_ also caused enough trouble when you were younger.” I reminded her.

“Those were all Harry's and Ron's ideas!” She protested immediately.

I laughed. “Right. Blame it on the others.”

“I hope Harry doesn't give James the Marauder's Map for their next year.” Hermione muttered. “That would end in disaster.”

“He can't because he doesn't have it anymore.” I was still laughing.

Her eyes widened. “You had it all this time?”

“He gave it to me when I accepted the job as a teacher. He said it belonged to me and Remus anyway.”

She tried to look offended. “Fifteen years and you didn't tell me?”

I kissed her on the cheek. “Don't be offended, love. You never asked.”

“What are you even doing with it?”

“Preventing little troublemakers from using it.” I grinned.

She rolled her eyes. “You're impossible.”

“You love me.” I touched her cheek carefully.

“I do.” She sighed, but there was a smile on her lips.

“Maybe we could also visit your parents this weekend?” I suggested. “I bet they would be happy.”

“Do you think that Molly will let us go?” Hermione asked skeptically.

“I bet she'll be happy when we're gone again. She's invited so many people.”

“I'd like to see my parents again.” She said after a few seconds. “And I bet Lily would also be happy to see her grandparents.”

“That's true.”

Suddenly, a loud cry echoed through the grounds. It wasn't human.

Seconds later, Buckbeak was flying through the air towards Hagrid's house.

“Should we go visit him?” Hermione asked with a smile.

I nodded. “That would be great.”

Hand in hand, we walked towards where my old friend was waiting for us.

_The end_

**Author's Note:**

> So what do you think so far? :)


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